I am proud to be a trustee on the Board of Preservation Dallas, a Dallas nonprofit that has held my heart since I planted my family’s roots in North Texas more than 40 years ago.
After an exhilaratingly successful 50th anniversary celebration at the beautiful Dallas National last May, I was asked to join the board of a group that has preserved, protected, and revitalized our city’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, homes, and places. We wouldn’t have the Hart Furniture and Santa Fe buildings, Crockett High School, Munger Place Historic District, the Magnolia Building, the Meadows Building, The Statler Hilton, The National, and most of Swiss Avenue, had it not been for Preservation Dallas.
From 1974, when the Historic Preservation League (PD’s initial name) fought to save the Old Lakewood Library and Trinity Methodist Church, to a recent Sunday when almost 200 people signed up to tour and study the impeccably preserved Blue House on Beaumont Street in the historic Cedars neighborhood, Preservation Dallas has been this city’s biggest cheerleader for initiatives to value and preserve the history and culture of our city.
The Search to Fill Some Big Shoes
For years, Preservation Dallas was led by Executive Director David Preziosi, who did such an excellent job that he was recruited to run preservation and planning at the Texas Historical Foundation. That left us looking for new leadership and big, big shoes to fill.
Will Stovall, a young attorney from a prominent Dallas family with a keen interest in preservation, and a former Board president and trustee came in as an Interim Executive Director in August.
As often happens when leadership changes occur, there was staff turnover in the office on Swiss Avenue, The Wilson House, a historical home that PD leases thanks to the generosity of The Meadows Foundation.
Talented personnel with years of PD experience who made immeasurably valuable contributions to the organization as well as the city of Dallas departed the staff in late August. They remain cherished by many of us board members.
But sometimes with change, painful as it may be, comes exciting new opportunities and growth.
Which brings me to the point of this writing: Preservation Dallas is seeking a permanent Executive Director, a new visionary and leader who can help make the next 50 years of preservation even more significant than the past has been.
As always, as a board member, I look to expand membership and grow Preservation Dallas so we can do even more for Dallas. It is important to keep our eyes on the tremendous work that has been done in the past to honor our city’s culture and history to preserve it for future generations. Building on that legacy, we are moving forward to a future that is seeing a revitalized interest in preservation by legacy Texans, newcomers, and younger generations. This was quite evident at the recent Blue House tour. And it is evident from the interest we are seeing for our upcoming April 15 home tour.
Preservation Dallas’ Event Calendar Returns
Working as a team with the City of Dallas Landmark Commission and the Dallas Jewish Historical Society, Preservation Dallas helped move The Blue House to Browder and Beaumont Streets, where it is now fully renovated into rental flats. The success of this project is an incredible inspiration for others.
There are pressing preservation issues in Dallas nearly every day: the city is currently evaluating a plan to restore the Kalita Humphries Theater – a Frank Lloyd Wright structure built in 1959 on Turtle Creek Boulevard — that needs major renovation to address the impact of time.
And there is a plan to change Dealey Plaza, which will notably alter the historic site with new traffic patterns and structures.
Under new leadership, with deep gratitude for what we have had in the past, Preservation Dallas is continuing its commitment to preservation in Dallas with Historic Home seminars, outings, tours, educational programs, and more. Moving forward, we hope to identify entire neighborhoods to preserve and protect and create an endangered list of homes and buildings in Dallas for all to watch as we nurture preservation.
And mark your calendars for April 15 when our 50th Anniversary Spring Home Tour returns. We certainly hope to see all of you there!
