Preservation Dallas: Where It Fits in The Landscape of Historic Preservation  

We mention Preservation Dallas a lot, but it struck me that plenty of our readers, especially our newcomers, are completely unaware of this nonprofit, what it accomplishes, and why we should all support it. While every state has a State Historic Preservation Office, not every major city in America has a local preservation organization, and because there are many offices and organizations involved in preservation, it can get confusing to understand who does what.

The Texas Historical Commission is the state historic preservation office based in Austin. It administers state programs and acts as a liaison for federal programs. Its focus is on protecting and preserving the state’s historic and prehistoric resources.  

Preservation Texas is the only statewide nonprofit historic preservation advocacy and education organization in Texas. It concentrates on protecting historic places throughout the entire state with grants and direct investments and offers guidance to people and organizations through collaboration, advocacy, and education.

There are also many all-volunteer County Historical Commissions that operate history museums, deliver educational programs, and advise the Texas Historical Commission on historic marker applications. 

When we get to the local level, we have the Office of Historic Preservation. They provide services related to historic Landmark Designation, Certificates of Appropriateness, and administering tax incentive programs within Historic Districts and on individual historic structures. Under that umbrella is the Landmark Commission, whose members are appointed by the Dallas City Council.

The Dallas Historical Society, founded in 1922, is the oldest organization in Dallas County. Its focus is on collecting and preserving artifacts that represent our history. The society offers programs, tours, exhibitions, and events but is best known for its collection of photographs, journals, maps, and books.

So, where does Preservation Dallas fit into this landscape? It’s important to understand that it is a nonprofit organization that operates independently of our local government. Unlike the Texas Historical Commission, which focuses on state-level programs, or Preservation Texas, which is a statewide advocacy organization, Preservation Dallas is dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the historic buildings, neighborhoods, and places within our city.

Preservation Dallas was founded in 1972 as The Historic Preservation League(HLP). Founders like Virginia Savage McAlester and former state representative Harryette Ehrhardt realized, without a fight, that their Swiss Avenue neighborhood would be destroyed by developers. In 1973, they were instrumental in passing the first historic preservation ordinance in Dallas. Without the efforts of this group, we’d have no historic or conservation districts, and Dallas would look very different. Their mission was to preserve and revitalize Dallas’ historic buildings, neighborhoods, and places. In 1994, the HLP changed its name to Preservation Dallas and began outreach programs in addition to its preservation advocacy efforts.

Preservation Dallas hosts tours and creates workshops, seminars,  and classes to increase awareness about our built history and to provide education on its importance. These programs not only offer valuable knowledge about historic preservation but also provide opportunities for community members to get involved and make a difference.  Some of their most popular offerings are two courses aimed at Realtors but available to the general public as well.  

The Historic House Specialist (HHS) seminar and the Advanced Historic House Specialist (AHHS) seminar offer Realtors 8 and 6 hours of MCE credits respectively. The Summer Sizzler Series of educational lectures features speakers on preservation, architecture, and history. Past lectures have included topics such as the evolution of the Lakewood shopping center, a history of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation program, a look at historic Dallas restaurants, and the history of drive-in theaters in Dallas.  

Preservation Dallas’ significant achievements also include the annual Most Endangered Historic Places list which calls attention to important historic sites at risk of being lost forever. The annual Preservation Achievement Awards honors those who have been diligent in preservation projects and people involved in preservation in Dallas. These initiatives have significantly contributed to the preservation and revitalization of Dallas’ historic buildings, neighborhoods, and places.

To be clear, Preservation Dallas is the go-to organization for education and information on your historic home or building. They will guide you through property protections and tax credits, and help you find restoration specialists, and their new initiatives for 2025 are very exciting.

“Preservation Dallas is not only here to provide resources, but we are also integrating into communities to educate the neighborhoods and our business partners,” Executive Director Sarah Crain said. “We will be partnering with The Deep Ellum Foundation on a tax credit talk in 2025 which is an important step in the process of maintaining the sense of place in Deep Ellum.”

Among the plans for 2025 are to create weekend workshops, a light-immersive class that offers information contained in the intensive Historic House Specialist courses, and classes in Spanish in our predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. Providing education on how to navigate city processes on everything from how to become a conservation district to property tax protests is on the agenda. 

“We are focused on re-establishing neighborhood contact and getting a deeper familiarity with issues in each neighborhood for homeowners and renters alike, so they know we are an advocacy resource, ” Crain said.

You can find out more about this unique community resource, how to become a member, and sign up for the Historic House Specialist course at the end of January on their website!