The one-of-a-kind Clifford D. Hutsell on Lakewood Blvd. was already demolished in 2023
Preservation is not a dirty word. We are certainly not against building beautiful structures. Some of our newest homes and buildings are already regarded as architecturally significant. However, that does not mean we need to mow down our historic homes and buildings and make preservation a dirty word. Historic homes and buildings are an incredibly important part of our city, and when we have the choice to save them, we need to be aware of why it’s an important consideration.
The perfectly intact pillow tile bathroom in the demolished Hutsell that stood at 7226 Lakewood Blvd
Educating our readers and offering them resources is always of paramount importance here at Dallas, TX Real Estate, especially when it comes to historic preservation. So many people and companies don’t have any idea about the tools available for preservation. After the significant losses of Lakewood Hutsell and Exchange Park in 2023, this is a good time to take a second look at a few of our educational posts this year and share them with those who love their historic homes and buildings.
The demolition of an iconic Hutsell on Lakewood Blvd
Nothing generated more interest on social media than the demolition of a beloved Hutsell on Lakewood Blvd. Social media caught fire, and the outrage was palpable. This was an especially sad situation, as had the Lakewood Conservation expansion been approved more rapidly, this home would have been saved. It’s equally distressing that the sellers did not know they could have landmarked and deed-restricted their home. Either of these things would also have saved this beautiful residence.
There was an outpouring of memories when we reported on the demolition of Exchange Parkway, another enormous loss to our city this year. So many readers had worked here, banked here and eaten at the famous La Tunisia restaurant.
Chief among the tools for historic preservation are landmarking, historic tax credits, and deed restrictions. If we are not proactive, individually and as a city, we will become an architecturally boring place to live, and that would be a tragedy. Preserving our built history maintains the character of a place. Our architectural history is what makes us unique. It provides a visual connection with our history and culture. Let’s all try a bit harder to do that in 2024.
When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of the, “See! This our father did for us.”
John Ruskin
There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here or there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody
Richard Moe, National Trust for Historic Preservation
