The 2018 Awards will take our guests to new heights in a familiar place. Join us on Wednesday, May 16th, at the Brown Cracker & Candy Company building. Formerly the West End Marketplace, this icon has been brought back to life as Factory Six03 and following the Awards ceremony you can explore the building’s historic spots. As well, the new rooftop patios afford the best views of Dallas’ built history. The Awards ceremony will include a special tribute to Matthews Southwest for their work restoring some of downtowns most spectacular historic properties. More information and reservations are available here .

The circa 1885 blue house in the Cedars that needed to be moved to allow for a parking lot to be built in its place will be moving later this month or early next month depending on weather and authorization from the city for street closures. The house will be cut into four pieces, two per floor, in order to move it to its new home at the corner of Browder and Beaumont Streets in the Cedars. Before the house moves there will be a kick-off celebration and an invitation to members will be sent once the date is finalized. After the house is moved it will be rehabilitated for apartments.

Have you taken the Historic House Specialist and are you ready for the Advanced class? April 5 will be your next chance to take the Advanced Historic House Specialist class. The class is one-day and covers: m aterials and methods of Post-WWII housing in Dallas, the economics involved in historic preservation, appraising and evaluating historic properties, historic landscapes, and h ow to do a dvanced researc h of a historic building on site at the Dallas Public Library.

The workshop is $115 and includes lunch. Realtors will receive 6 hours MCE credit.  Register online with MetroTex Association of REALTORS, or at 214-540-2751.

Last month I wrote about our advocacy efforts at Preservation Dallas and this week I get to practice it first hand on the national level with a trip to D.C. for the annual National Preservation Lobby Day. This week hundreds of preservation advocates from across the country will be converging on D.C. to meet with legislators to discuss preservation legislation and funding.

I have been attending National Lobby Day for over fifteen years now making the rounds on Capitol Hill and visiting with the legislative offices touting the benefits of historic preservation and why it should be supported. This year I am scheduled to make visits to ten offices with representatives from the Texas Historical Commission. Our goal will be to discuss the Historic Preservation Fund which provides funding to the state historic preservation offices (the Texas Historical Commission in Texas), historic preservation and infrastructure, and the Federal Historic Tax Credit. Even though the Tax Credit survived tax reform it was diminished slightly so we will be advocating for the full return of the program. Of course that is an easy sell from the perspective of Dallas as we are largest user of tax credits in the state of Texas, Since 1999 there has been over $900 million in tax credit projects completed with over $700 million currently underway or waiting to be certified as complete. That is quite an investment in historic buildings and impressive to be able to relay those numbers to legislators and to show examples of those projects and the huge impact they have made in Dallas.

So wish me luck as I make the rounds and spread the message of the power of preservation this week!

Tuesday, March 20, 6 p.m.

Attend a free informational session and panel discussion on the Master Plan for the Kalita Humphreys Theater. Learn about the significance of Frank Lloyd Wright’s only freestanding theater, built for the Dallas Theater Center along the Turtle Creek corridor. Discover the exciting possible future for a revitalized theater and site from the original master plan consultant team. Hear about the comprehensive public process that synthesized the wishes of the Dallas cultural community to improve and enhance the theater and its site, parking, and connections to the Katy Trail. This event is currently sold out but you can sign up for the wait list here should seats become available.

Thursday, March 22, 6 p.m.

Built in 1967 by the founder of Dal-Tile, this remarkable 12,000 square foot home commands three acres of waterfront on White Rock Lake. The house is a veritable gallery of the most exquisite flooring which underscores massive stone walls and fireplaces, beautiful hard wood wall coverings and carved wood features throughout its immensity. Glass walls invite both the natural light and spectacular views in, creating the perfect indoor-outdoor relationship. The is a one of a kind home and you do not want to miss it! Reservations are required and you can register here.

Thursday, March 29, 6 p.m.

Join the Urban Armadillos for a happy hour on March 29 at the Lorenzo Hotel! Light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served on the 12th floor Skye Ballroom with views back to downtown Dallas. Larry Hamilton of Hamilton Properties will speak to the group followed by group tours of the hotel. Register here for the event.

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