Holding Off The Wrecking Ball: What is The City of Dallas Doing About Historic Preservation?

Dallas has had a lot of losses in historic preservation. The Dr Pepper building on Mockingbird, P.C Cobb Stadium, Little Mexico, and the massacre on Main Street in 2015, when some of the oldest buildings in the city were razed, are all gutting losses. We always wonder why someone doesn’t do something.

Newsflash. That someone is us.

Sure, it takes a village to do most things, and preservation is undoubtedly in that category. However, it only takes one person to draw attention to a problem the proverbial village can solve. So, where do we start? Who do we call?

I can tell you, even for someone that writes weekly columns about historic preservation, I’ve often been confused about who has the answers. Plenty of information on historic preservation is available, but it’s primarily siloed, which is a real problem. If one hand does not know what the other does, is supposed to do, or is capable of doing, how can they help the other? And how can we possibly move forward with any real intention of saving not just buildings but culture?

The City of Dallas has decided to do something about the problem. Wednesday morning, we got a preview of what is on the horizon. AIA Dallas and the Architecture and Design Exchange hosted Coffee and Conversation, presented by HOK, the global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm. Moderated by Trinity Public Affairs consultant Katie O’Brien, we spent an hour listening to some dedicated city officials who are genuinely interested in helping Dallas to grow beyond its current struggling adolescent phase regarding historic preservation.

A Little Historic Preservation Background

The City of Dallas Office of Historic Preservation provides services like Landmark Designation and Certificates of Appropriateness. They also administer tax incentive programs within historic districts and on individual historic structures. With a global pandemic, it was all they could do to keep their heads above water. Then there was quite a lot of turnover in a small department, so much of the institutional knowledge went out the door.

Julia Ryan is the Director of Planning and Urban Design for the City of Dallas. She’s also the interim Director of The City of Dallas Office of Historic Preservation.

“You have not heard much from us because we have been nose to the grindstone with paperwork,” Ryan said. “We have been working to build staff and knowledge.”

So why is Ryan tasked with two full-time jobs? Well, she’s highly competent, and with expertise in planning and urban design, she has much-needed insight and problem-solving skills.

“When you are in an interim situation, it can be disconcerting for staff, and they have handled it well,” Ryan said. “We have four staff members right now, and they are my rock. We have two senior planners, a code compliance officer, and an administrative assistant. Two more staff will be in place next week. They are resilient, and I’m proud of the work and them stepping up to the challenges.”

Addressing those challenges is what the information session on Wednesday was all about. This plan is currently being called the 2023 Dallas Historic Preservation Strategic Process Overview. Yes, that is a mouthful. Let’s break that big concept into bite-sized pieces.

Gathering Information to Create a Vision

The city recognizes a need for a program addressing the loss of historic buildings and culture. They want to do something about it. The first phase is figuring things out. Information has to be gathered. That’s to be accomplished with neighborhood workshops and public meetings to discover what we want to see in our neighborhoods. So, back to how you can make a difference — participate.

Then there has to be an understanding of what the city wants historic preservation to look like. So the information gathering will inform a vision. In a perfect world, that information could be gathered and a vision created by the end of 2023.

Phase two would be figuring out what tools are needed, what policies and codes need to be written, rewritten, or tossed out, and what materials, time frame, and resources are needed to move this from thinking to doing. The City of Dallas will work with the Landmark Commission, Preservation Dallas, and the community to create workable strategies. They are also working with HR&A Advisors, Inc.

Then, of course, this vision must be sent to the Dallas City Council and the community. If everything goes according to plan, we could have that vision, the resources, and a plan for implementation by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

“It’s going to be quite a complex tapestry we need to weave,” Preservation Dallas Board President Norman Alston said. “It’s a tall order but a great thing to work towards.”

Participate Because Historic Preservation is Really up to You

Kudos to the city for starting the conversation, but remember, the bottom line here is this is still up to you. So, quit complaining about your favorite old home or a building you love being torn down and get involved. Go to meetings, email your council person, and rattle some cages. If you cannot join a task force or committee, form your grassroots organization to save a historic site in your neighborhood. We only have one city, and we better figure out how we want it to look.