The Biggest Historic Preservation Losses of 2024

It’s never a surprise to hear about a historic preservation loss. What is surprising is how much better 2024 was than 2023. This past year, I’m happy to report that our wins outweighed our losses. Although we had fewer losses, they were significant.

The Cox Mansion

At the top of the list of historic preservation loss is the dramatic and beautiful Beaux Arts 1912 Cox mansion, originally the Rose Lloyd mansion, that presided over the corner of Beverly Drive and Preston Road. The current owner, billionaire Andy Beal, had been working to remodel and expand the home. Then, suddenly, in August, it was shockingly demolished. Because Beal rarely speaks to the press, we are left to wonder what on earth happened.

Speculation ran rampant on social media, and now Beal has applied for a zoning change so he can build bigger and better and much, much taller. This will be an interesting story to watch as it unfolds. The bottom line is three billionaires have owned this property, each made it their own, so no doubt we will see something quite spectacular rise … or Beal will sell this property. It seems to be a pattern as he bought, demolished, and sold the historic Trammell Crow estate in 2017.

The 1916 Beaux Arts Cox Mansion is Gone, and Rumors Are Flying

Old City Park’s Artifacts Are An Enormous Historic Preservation Loss

While it’s not a complete loss, this was a gutting one. Old City Park suffered a significant loss in historic preservation. All of its artifacts were auctioned off, leaving behind empty and mostly shuttered historic buildings. Dallas residents were devastated. Decades of school kids had learned Texas history here from docents dressed in period-appropriate clothing. They got to pet donkeys Waylon and Willie, see what a turn-of-the-century bank, saloon, and dental office looked like, and how we lived long ago. These buildings were rich in detail, and many Dallas families donated their heirlooms to Old City Park. 

Dallas City Council’s Jesse Moreno Promises That Old City Park Will Remain a Park, But What About Everything Else?

The Como Motel

While not in Dallas proper and not demolished yet, it certainly appears, despite a movement to save it, that no knight in shining armor is coming to save the Como Motel in Richardson. If you have been as immersed in the Candy Montgomery saga as we have been, you will know this was where Montgomery had her infamous affair.

That affair led to her whacking her lover’s wife, Betty Gore, 41 times with an ax. Montgomery claimed self-defense and was acquitted of the murder charge.  Although that’s the dark history of the 1950s motel, Richardson neighbors love this place and have been hoping someone would see the potential to return it to the cool Midcentury Modern motel it once was. There is so much potential here that we’d hate to see it turn into another complete historic preservation loss.

Will They Pave Candy Montgomery’s Como Motel Paradise And Put Up a Parking Lot?

So, all in all, I can’t complain as loudly as last year. Perhaps people are finally getting wise to the fact historic homes and buildings have great value and are worth saving. Let’s hope we see even less historic preservation loss in 2025! A great start would be kicking off your new year by becoming a member of Preservation Dallas!