If you love historic homes and buildings as much as we do, please note that January 29 is the deadline to nominate a project for the 2021 Historic Preservation awards. Nominations are being accepted for the following:
- 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
- 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.
We asked the Executive Director of Preservation Dallas, David Preziosi, to tell us a bit about the awards and why they are so important to our city:
“Since Preservation Dallas started the Preservation Achievement Awards in 2000, there have been nearly 400 awards given to outstanding preservation projects and people advancing historic preservation efforts in Dallas.
“Over the years, there have been some really impressive projects with everything from small residential ones to large commercial ones, like The Statler. Many projects have shown that neglected, abandoned, and deteriorating historic buildings can come back to life and be incredible places to live, work, and play.
“Thanks to the award winners, a unique part of Dallas’ historic character has been saved for future generations so that we can see how Dallas has developed over the years.
“Two of the most notable preservation success stories Preservation Dallas has given awards to include The Statler and Old Dallas High School. Both were threatened with demolition, and both sat vacant for more than ten years before a developer came along who was able to make each of the project’s work. It would have been an incredible loss if those two essential pieces of Dallas history were demolished and lost forever. Thankfully Centurion American made The Statler project work, rehabilitating the building into a hotel, apartment, restaurant, and retail space. Matthews Southwest thankfully took on the Old Dallas High School’s conversion, transforming it into a highly unique office space.
“While the big preservation projects like The Statler and the Old Dallas High School get a lot of attention, it is really the smaller residential projects that are the bulk of the award winners. Those projects represent the owners’ determination and love for their historic homes with all they have done to rehabilitate them. Awards have been given to all styles of houses from the Craftsman Bungalow to the Mid-Century Modern, with each project being unique in its own right and having the stamp of its owner. With the awards, Preservation Dallas has an incredible collection of before and after photographs of the projects, and who doesn’t love a before and after!
“One of the great things about the Preservation Achievement Awards is that they can inspire others by showcasing outstanding projects where historic buildings were revitalized and updated for modern living. It proves that historic buildings have value and that old is not bad. It shows that they can be adapted for how we live our lives today. People can look at those projects and say yes, we can take that on that renovation, and yes, we can have an incredible blend of historic craftsmanship with modern features.”
