Happy Holidays from the staff and board of Preservation Dallas!
Holiday Party is Friday at 6:00!
The elves have been busy decorating the Wilson House for the annual Preservation Dallas Holiday Party on Friday! Be sure to attend this merry event with some firsts this year including a holiday dessert contest and musicians to provide some fun holiday tunes for us. Of course we are continuing the tradition of food and drink as well as a chance to mingle with your preservation friends!
A big THANKS goes to our sponsor for the party this year:
"Rescuing Texas History" Grant Digitizes Past Preservation Dallas Newsletters
Ever wondered what happened during the battle to save the Dr. Pepper Building (sadly, lost) or the Knights of Pythias Temple (in the process of being rehabilitated)? Preservation Dallas volunteers and board members Carol Roark and Julie Travis did too, and now those stories and many more are only a few keystrokes away.

Four decades of articles about Dallas’ historic neighborhoods and buildings – and the evolving preservation movement here – are being placed online thanks to a “Rescuing Texas History” grant awarded to Preservation Dallas by the Portal to Texas History and the University of North Texas. The project began when Julie and Carol sorted through the research files and archives stored throughout the Wilson House and pulled together the print newsletters published by Preservation Dallas and its predecessor, the Historic Preservation League. UNT committed funds to scan items for nonprofit organizations and make them freely available on the university’s Portal to Texas History, so Carol wrote the grant application and Julie compiled a master set of available issues.

The Portal staff has placed 93 issues (1975-2002) online here , with a goal of 150 issues (through 2009) online in the next few months. More recent newsletters are already online through the Preservation Dallas website here . It is a fitting closure to the celebration of Preservation Dallas’ 45 th anniversary that our history is now available to all via the web!
Preservation Achievement Award Nominations Due January 12!
It's time to nominate outstanding preservation projects for the 2018 Preservation Achievement Awards to be presented in May. Do you know of a project that deserves merit, or maybe one that you have done? If so then nominate it for the 2018 Awards! 

Award nominations are being accepted for: Rehabilitation or Adaptive Use of a residential historic building; Rehabilitation or Adaptive Use of a commercial, institutional, or mixed-use building; Rehabilitation of a Historic Landscape, Park or other Historic Resource; and New Construction/Infill in a historic neighborhood which may include an addition directly attached to a building, or an entirely new building (infill) which enhances the historic nature of the original building, streetscape or urban environment. 

Nominations are due January 12.
Give a Gift to Preservation Dallas!
As we close in on the end of the year and the gift giving season we hope that Preservation Dallas will be on your list of gifts to give! Your gift will help us with our work in 2018 to advocate for the historic places of Dallas. All donations received online or postmarked by December 31st will count towards this tax year. 

We also have gift memberships available to Preservation Dallas so you can give the gift of preservation to fiends and family so they can have access to all of the wonderful free programs and tours we have for members throughout the year. For more information on gift memberships please call the office at 214-821-3290 or email .   
New Books for Sale at Preservation Dallas
Need a holiday gift for someone that loves history or historic architecture? Well, we have a great selection of books on both at the Preservation Dallas office. We also have two brand new books for sale including DFW Deco by Jim Parsons and David Bush (authors of Fair Park Deco) and Dallas Fair Park: Art Deco Forever by Carolyn Brown featuring her wonderful photographs of Fair Park. They retail for $43 and $22 respectively with tax and $39 and $19 for members with tax.
Preservation Dallas Office Closed for the Holidays
The Preservation Dallas Office will be closed starting December 25th for Christmas and New Years holidays and will reopen on January 2nd. During that time please feel free to email and we will get back to you when we return.
Preservation Issues & Updates
Aldredge House - Last week at the City Plan Commission (CPC) meeting they voted on the creation of a Planned Development District (PD) and a Specific Use Permit (SUP) to allow the house to operate as a Historic House Museum and Meeting Space. They also voted to recommend the approval of Landmark Designation for the interior of the first floor of the house. With the PD they will be able to hold meetings and programs at the house between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. Under the terms of the SUP between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm they can only hold 36 meetings year or 3 non-consecutive meetings a month. While the PD would be permanent the SUP must be reviewed by the CPC in 5 years. The CPC vote will be forwarded to the City Council which will make the final decision on the PD and SUP most likely in January.

Ambassador Hotel - Jim Lake Companies is working on a project to convert the Ambassador Hotel into micro apartments and restaurant space. At the Landmark Commission meeting on Monday they received permission for exterior repairs and replacement of the non-historic windows with the condition that the final color for the windows and painting of the building be submitted and approved. The Ambassador is also a Historic Tax Credit project and therefore must also go through reviews at the Texas Historical Commission.

Rosenfield House - The Rosenfield House on Griffin Street in the Cedars will be rolling to its new home next month! Time Warner wanted to demolish it for a parking lot in 2016 and later committed to paying for the house to be moved to another site. Currently the foundation is being prepared for the house at the new location at the corner of Browder and Beaumont Streets. The house will have to be cut into three pieces for the move and when a date is set for the move we will let everyone know. The saving and relocation of the house is also being documented by Mark Birnbaum, a documentary film maker, who received several grants to tell the story of the community effort to save an important part of the history of the Cedars and the Jewish Community.
Director's Letter
David Preziosi
We are nearing the closeout of 2017 and our celebration of 45 years of work in Dallas advocating for historic places. Preservation Dallas has come a long way from its volunteer roots and we owe a great deal of gratitude to those early folks who worked tirelessly against tremendous odds to get the preservation movement in Dallas started. We wouldn’t be here without them and Dallas wouldn’t be where it is today with preservation if not for those efforts. In 2015, the founders of Preservation Dallas received the Dorothy Savage Award from Preservation Dallas for their incredible work. You can go here to view a video of the story of the founding of Preservation Dallas done for the Awards.  

Over the years there have been many ups and downs with preservation in Dallas as chronicled decade by decade in the past newsletters this year. Preservation advocacy is never easy and is a constant battle which must be fought on multiple fronts with the public, property owners, developers, and city officials. Even though we have lost great buildings such as Dr. Pepper, many have been saved by the efforts of Preservation Dallas and its members such as the Old Dallas High School, Statler Hilton, Knights of Pythias, St. Ann’s School and many more. Since 1999, over $800 million has been invested in the revitalization of historic buildings through the Historic Tax Credit, and that doesn’t even count the money spent on historic homes and buildings which didn’t use the credit. There are also over $700 million in tax credit projects underway or waiting to be certified as complete. That is an incredible investment in Dallas and I hope that the Historic Tax Credit will survive tax reform to continue to be a catalyst to revitalize historic buildings in Dallas and other cities across the country.

Just last week Preservation Dallas was honored with the Kessler Award from the Greater Dallas Planning Council for its preservation work in Dallas. The award is given to an individual or group who has demonstrated a lasting and significant commitment along with sustained sensitivity to the urban environment - clearly contributing towards great urban design and sustainability. We are so pleased that we were recognized for our work. In a related note at the GDPC awards event I was elected to serve on their board beginning in 2018. The GDPC was founded in 1946 and is the oldest Dallas area civic organization that focuses on issues shaping regional growth. I look forward to having the chance to bring a preservation perspective to GDPC when looking at planning and development issues which will impact Dallas and the region.

I would also like to congratulate our board president Alicia Quintans who along with Michael Amonett won the Ruth Chenoweth Conservation Achievement Award from Heritage Oak Cliff (formerly Old Oak Cliff Conservation League) for their work in advocating for endangered historic properties in Oak Cliff. Barbara Barbee was also recognized with the Neighborhood Champion Award for her work in Oak Cliff. Michael also serves as the Landmark Commission member for District 1 and Barbara serves as the Park Board member for District 1. Congratulations to all three for being recognized for their contributions to Oak Cliff!

I wish everyone a most wonderful holiday season this year with friends and family! Thank you to all of you who have supported Preservation Dallas this past year through gifts and help with advocacy efforts. It is very much appreciated and greatly helps us with our work to save the historic places important to Dallas!
From right to left, Alicia Quintans, David Preziosi and GDPC Board President Carmen Garcia at the GDPC Awards event where Preservation Dallas was recognized with the Kessler Award.
From right to left are Lybo Buchanan (Awards Chair), Alicia Quintans, Micheal Amonett, Barbara Barbee, and Ellie Hajek (Board President) at the Heritage Oak Cliff Holiday Party.
Events
Real Places 2018 Conference
January 10-12
Austin, Texas

If you are passionate about seeking out, saving, and leveraging the real places and real stories of your community, join the  REAL PLACES 2018—a Texas Historical Commission conference focused on preserving, revitalizing, and experiencing the Texas mystique. Click here for more information and to register.
Architecture That Speaks Book Event
Tuesday, January 23, 6 pm
Hall of State - Fair Park

For all you Aggies out there join us for a book event to hear about the amazing A&M campus architecture from 1930s designed by S. C. P. Vosper. The book was written by Nancy McCoy, local preservation architect and former board president of Preservation Dallas, and David Woodcock, professor emeritus of architecture at A&M. Photos for the book were done by renowned Dallas photographer Carolyn Brown. More details to come on registering for the event which is being done in partnership with the Dallas Center for Architecture and the Dallas Historical Society.
19th Annual Legacies Dallas History Conference: Dallas on the Move
Saturday, January 27, 8am
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library

Save the date! This year's conference will focus on the impact of transportation and planning on the development of Dallas. Check our website in January for updates and to register.
Please Welcome our New Members!
Community Partner
Dallas Carpet Outlet & Fine Floors

Steward
George & Laura Bush

Sustainer
Jennfer Allgaier
June & Troy Cooper
Joshua & Jennifer Rice
Carolyn Speed

Individual
Diane Bumpas
Jill Donaldson
Nathan & Malu Goff
Lindsey & Matthew Lawrence
Laura Western

Urban Armadillos
Jihane Boury
Michael Bowles
Kurt Cherry
Dane Covey
Mitch Kumin
William Long
JP Neyland
Stephen Rury
Young Professionals (PDYP)
Eylin Aguayo
Barrett Bailey
Sarah Bennett
Kendall Berents
Sherry Dietz
Jessica Donnelli
Matthew Huran
Sherry Martin
Kirsten Meador
Taylor Nichols
Christopher Rider
Lauren Schaibly
Aimee Schreiner
Taylor Stewart
April Stollfus
Rebecca Young

Student
Dilara Cirit
Thank you to the following members for renewing!
Laura Ainsworth
Scott & Kelly Bradley
Harry S. Moss Foundation
Justin M. Johnson
Ann Keen
Jennifer Picquet-Reyes
J. Kyle Rains
Paul Sanders
Phil Schoenborn
Jamie Slagel
Myron Weinstein
Claudia Worme
This newsletter is sent to all current and past members, and those interested in preservation in Dallas. To become a member or to renew or upgrade your membership, please click below.
Corporate Partners
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