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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/12/1994 - Regular Minutes - Historic Preservation Committee HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1994 CENTRAL PARK CONFERENCE ROOM 1000 KRENEK TAP ROAD MEMBERS PRESENT: Bill Lancaster, Co-Chairman; Greg Keith; Mary Jane Hirsch; Deborah O'Briant; Steven Smith; Florace Kling MEMBERS ABSENT: Joan Lamkin, Chairman; Gary Halter; Deborah Jasek; Bill Fox, Council Liaison STAFF PRESENT: David Gerling, Special Facilities Superintendent; Pamela Einkauf, Senior Secretary GUESTS PRESENT: Lois Beach, Former Committee Member I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m., by Bill Lancaster, Co-Chairman, in Joan Lamkin's absence. II. PRESENTATION OF PLAQUES TO OUTGOING MEMBERS:. Bill presented Lois Beach with a plaque in recognition for her support and dedication to the Committee from May, 1986 to May, 1994. He expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Committee for the time she donated. Lois stated that she enjoyed every minute of it. Bill invited Lois to stay for the remainder of the meeting and she said that she would -she wanted to find out what was going on. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Bill asked if anyone had any comments or corrections to the minutes from the September 7, 1994 meeting. There were no comments, and the minutes were approved with no changes. IV. DISCUSSION OF JOINT MEETING WITH COMMUNITY APPEARANCE COMMITTEE IN NOVEMBER: David announced that the tentative date for the joint meeting would be Wednesday, November 2, 1994, at Noon, in the City Hall Council Chambers, and stated that the Historic Committee would provide lunch for both committees. David stated the Committee needed to decide on what items it would present to the Community Appearance Committee at the meeting. Bill, Florace, and Deborah 0., all stated that they would be gone on that day and would be unable to make the meeting. David stated that it was a tentative date and asked what date would be better. Greg suggested Friday, November 4, 1994, at Noon. No one had a problem with that date. David said he would contact the Community Appearance liaison to see if that date would be acceptable. Bill asked what type things the Community Appearance Committee worked on. Greg stated that he was on the Northgate Steering Committee and that he didn't know what their current priorities were, but he could give everyone an idea of some things they would like to see done. They would like to put in plazas and brick pavers when College Main is torn up. They are talking about renovating the entire Northgate area. Community Appearance would like to attract some attention to the area by putting up banners and planters. Bill asked if the Community Appearance Committee was Council appointed. David told him that it was, and that someone out of the Planning and Engineering Department was their liaison. Historic Preservation Committee Page 2 Greg stated that he felt that emphasizing high visibility areas should be the focus of any community appearance effort-specifically the three sides of the University that are College Station owned. One of the first areas that he felt needed work, were the street medians on George Bush, Texas, and particularly University. He would like to see trees and grass planted in them, or have brick pavers installed. He commented that he's always looking for any items from A&M campus that have been removed, and he believes that a lot of those items would go well in the medians. He stated that the Northgate Steering Committee is talking about slowing down traffic on University, by installing brick pavers at all the crosswalks. If traffic is moving slower, people would be better able to appreciate statues or historic interpretation placed in those medians. He commented that those areas will be some of the most highly visible when the George Bush Library and Special Events Center come in. David agreed with Greg, but stated that the Community Appearance Committee would also be concentrating on the all points of entry into the City - from Bryan, Huntsville, Houston, and Austin. David said he believes overall issues of appearance and beauty, such as Treescape and part of the Brazos Beautiful effort, come through that committee. Bill stated that the Historic Committee could suggest ideas - statues and things - of an historical nature that could be used. Greg suggested using a railroad theme in the area where Wellborn crosses the tracks, since the 1883 depot will be located nearby. Sidewalks or boardwalks made with railroad ties, would lend a certain atmosphere to that area. Lois asked about the status of the railroad depot, and if it had been approved. David said that it was still in Austin in the process of being approved, however, the last news received was encouraging. The TxDOT office in Austin told David that in order to go on to the next step, they would need a letter from a governmental entity committing to the full 20% of the cost to do the project. In order to get the grant process going, the City agreed to commit to the full $135,000, with the understanding that the students would pay the City. The City of College Station had originally agreed to commit part of the money, with the remainder of the 20% coming from the Class of 1994. Bill asked if there was any problem with the City sending the letter, and David said there wasn't a problem, in fact, it had already been sent to Austin. David said that from what he was told, everything was right on line and going through as planned. David stated that it was a positive sign that TxDOT would call the MPO to let them know what needed to be done so that they could proceed on to the next step. Bill asked if A&M had given the project its blessing by donating the land. David said that it had not done so yet, but that A&M had several sites in mind. One was on Wellborn Road across from Albritton Tower, and the second was just to the east of Olsen field, on the corner where married student housing used to be. A third idea was to tear down the old indoor swimming pool and the DeWare Field House and place the depot there. David stated that the Physical Plant, the Development Foundation, the students, and the Historic Committee all wanted the depot to go in near the original spot. Bill stated that if the depot ever served as an operating railroad station - and there was the possibility that it might-it needed to be near the railroad tracks. David said that when the topic of where to place the depot came up before the committee on campus that decides on uses of space, the Chairman of that committee stated that he hadn't been briefed informally on that issue. The discussion was postponed to a later date, and no other meeting has since taken place. David commented that he didn't know why A&M was waiting to make a decision. Lois commented that perhaps they were waiting until the grant came through. David stated that it would be a lot easier to sell the idea of the depot to the Board of Regents if the grant has already been approved. Bill asked David if TxDOT would have trouble approving the grant if a location hadn't been chosen. David said no, that ISTEA grant money was awarded based on concepts and not providing specifics at the current time, was acceptable. For example, the money granted for the College Station Bicycle Loop was done so based solely on the concept. A lot of the concrete ideas had not been worked out at the time the money was funded. Greg said he was concerned with the idea of putting the depot where Downs Natatorium and DeWare Field House are located. He stated that reconstructing the depot from 1883 was a great idea- but it wasn't right to tear down something that had historical value so that you had a place to put it. Florace and Mary Jane agreed. Greg said those buildings could be used for numerous things. With the University joining the "Big 12", Kyle Field won't be able to handle all the people wanting to get in to see the games. Those buildings could be used as overflow areas with big Historic Preservation Committee Page 3 screen t.v.'s, and chairs so that people could watch the games there instead of going back to a hotel. David stated that the University has already gotten a price to tear down those two buildings, and it would cost$350,000 . David stated that from the informal discussion he had over the phone, he learned that if the Deware Field House location is the site chosen for the depot, A&M will expect the students to, not only build the depot and put it there as a gift, but pay to demolish the other two buildings as part of the gift. Bill commented that if the buildings were torn down, he couldn't imagine A&M using that space for something that's not academic or athletic. David agreed with the Committee that, of all the locations, the DeWare Field House site was the worst choice. Greg stated that the Committee should take a stance on the issue of puffing a new "old" building in place of an historical building, and write a letter protesting the site of the DeWare Field House as a possible location, giving reasons as to why the other locations would be better. Florace stated that the Committee needed to let A&M know that they do not wish to further destroy historic property. David stated that when he met with the chairman of the committee for a private briefing on the depot, he would put great emphasis on the fact that the spot across from Albritton was the Committee's first choice, with the DeWare Field House site being the last choice. David suggested that, if after the briefing it still looked as though the destruction of the Field House and Natatorium was imminent, then the Historic Committee could send a letter of protest. David stated that it would be premature to send a letter at the present time. Greg asked if the three choices for the depot site could be prioritized by the Committee. David said yes. Greg ran through the choices (1) the original location on the west side of Wellborn across from the Albritton Tower; (2) the south side of George Bush and Wellborn, just north of the Amtrak Station across from where married student housing used to be; and (3) the College Station Amtrak Station. Lois commented that she thought that a big hotel corporation owned the tract of land north of the Amtrak station, because they were planning on building there when the train came in. Greg said that the best place to put the depot would be on the west side of the railroad tracks. Bill asked if that area was used for parking, and David stated that on game days, etc., people parked anywhere. Steve said that according to the plans he'd seen from David God bey, parking was built into the plan adjacent to the site. David agreed, saying that the plans he saw for the proposed site across from Albritton Tower, included 21 spaces. Bill asked the Committee if they were in favor of the site across from Albritton Tower as the first choice for the location of the depot. The members were in agreement. Bill asked the members if they were in favor of the site north of the Amtrak Station, or the Amtrak Station itself, as choice two. Mary Jane asked if the site had to be owned by A&M. David said it didn't have to be, however, there would be a problem with the grant process, since no money had been included in the application for the purchase of land. If it was not on A&M land, funds would have to be found to buy the land, or have it donated. Greg asked if Amtrak or the City owned the land, or if it was right-of-way. David said he knew part of it was right-of-way. Greg said that the Amtrak site was preferable to him because it could actually become a working station, and people coming to College Station could get off the train at the 1883 depot. David stated that if the Committee wanted the station to be a working station, then the Amtrak site should be the first choice. If the Committee just wanted the depot to be a museum, then the site across from Albritton should be first choice. Greg stated that the working station could be a museum as well. Steve said that there might be some challenges with that because the kind of wear and tear on the depot would be different if it were a working station as opposed to just a museum. It would probably also call for a larger structure. Steve stated that ultimately the decision on whether to make it a working station or a museum might be up to the Class of 1994. David said that the Physical Plant would be in charge of maintenance on the depot, and if the depot was located off of University property, it would change everything. Greg stated that moving the Amtrak station to the location across from Albritton,would be the easiest solution. David agreed, stating that once the depot was in place, Amtrak could be contacted to see if they would be willing to stop 1/4 mile up the road at the depot. Florace asked if the Committee could recommend just one choice and not have a second choice. Steve stated that would be the wisest thing to do. David stated that he would just present the one choice for the depot location to Mayland Sutherland, the Chairman of the committee on campus, when he met with him. He did not know when that would be - possibly as late as the end of October. Bill and Greg both felt that Mr. Sutherland would be receptive to the idea. Historic Preservation Committee Page 4 Greg asked what the City's stance on statues was. He knew fountains were hard to maintain, but didn't know about statues. Bill stated it would depend on what the statue was of. Greg suggested statues of early College Station founders or other important people. Steve said another idea would be artwork-more artistically interpretive of history. David commented that the type of art displayed would be one of the things Community Appearance would be concerned with. Greg informed the Committee that the unveiling of the Rudder statue would be on Saturday, October 15, 1994, before the Baylor game, if anyone was interested in attending. Greg stated that he had given the Committee some information on a black Texas congressman or senator who was very influential in helping to found A&M. Greg stated that it would be a good idea to have a statue erected in his honor, and suggested bringing a copy of the handout to the joint meeting. David stated that Jane Kee, the staff member currently handling the Community Appearance Committee, told David that their committee just wanted ideas to place on the agenda. Steve asked if Community Appearance was the one handling the widening of Texas Avenue and if so, he'd like to hear details of that. David said that they were. Greg said that he'd like to hear about Streetscape. David said that at the joint meeting he envisioned Community Appearance giving a presentation on what they were involved in, and what their focus and priorities were, and then one of the Historic Committee members could do the same. The discussion could then be open to ideas and mutual interests which the two committees could work on together. He said that the ideas and plans the Committee had for the interurban trolley could be discussed at the meeting, as well. He commented that while the Historic Committee would be concerned with the historical value of something, Community Appearance had to look at it from a different perspective. They would have to be concerned about the visual appearance of a project, and its effect on an out-of-town visitor who knows nothing about the historical significance of a particular project. Bill asked about the Highway Department's safety concerns regarding items located in medians and near roadways. Mary Jane stated that was her husband's field of expertise, and that he was retired and working on cases in Louisiana, Missouri, and that he knew all the codes. Bill and David both asked her to bring him to the joint meeting. Greg said another idea would be regarding campus in the late 1800's - early 1900's and the existence of actual gates at Northgate, Southgate, Eastgate, etc. Greg had heard that there was a fence and actual gates on each side. Bill stated that there was no south gate or east gate - just pasture. There were north and west entrances only, at that time. Greg commented that people were always asking why the north side was called Northgate. Bill said that there were gates at one time, but that the west gate was never called that. Florace said it was called southside and northgate. When people quit living on campus they moved over to the south side of campus and that may have been why it was called southside. Bill said that Wellborn Road was the main Houston to Dallas highway, at one time, and that the entrance to the University was where it comes in at Albritton Tower. He didn't remember it ever being called Westgate- just main entrance. In the early thirties it was reversed, and the east side became the main entrance. Greg suggested putting up some type of interpretation relaying that information. David stated that if it had been 75 years since those gates had been installed, a state marker could possibly be obtained to provide interpretation and mark the sites where those gates stood. Greg said if the site didn't qualify for a state marker, then something else could be used to mark the site of the gates. David commented that there was a marker in Central Park near the large cedar tree at the entrance, which was designed to look just like an historical marker, but instead of having the State seal on it, it had a College Station seal. Driving by it looks like a state marker, but it really is just interpretation for the tree- it has no historical value. A&M could do the same thing to mark those sites, putting the A&M seal on top instead of the State seal. Greg commented that he would rather see a marker on the College Station side of campus, because things have a way of getting taken up and lost/misplaced over time at A&M. He said when people think of Northgate now they think of the commercial area there anyway. Steve stated that the area should be a candidate for a historical marker and suggested placing a marker at Northgate only- people would understand that the other entrances were called gates because of that north gate. David commented that it could be mentioned on the marker that the only actual gates were on the north side. Greg commented that in Galveston a lot of the historical markers have an image in the brass of what the building looked like. He thought it would be great to do the same thing on the marker for Historic Preservation Committee Page 5 Northgate using the picture in the "College Station, Texas 1938-1988" of Northgate which shows the actual gate. He said perhaps a color picture behind glass that would be protected from weather, could be used instead. Placing the marker in approximately the same location as where the picture was taken would make it more interesting. David stated that he would make up a list of topics for the meeting, but at the meeting if anyone had any ideas to speak up. Greg said it would be nice to build a parkway somewhere on the actual route the interurban took. He said he knew there was a marker going up near College Avenue, near the Bryan/College Station city line. Greg also mentioned placing markers on the old buildings in Northgate and listing all of the businesses that had been in each building. The idea had also been discussed by the Northgate Steering Committee, and Greg commented that the Historic Committee generates a lot of ideas, but other committees could actually follow through on some of them. David commented that the city markers are already pre-done, but another small plaque could be added at the bottom, listing the former occupants and the years occupied. The system used would need to be something that could be updated as businesses came and went. Bill commented that a lot of those small businesses moved around. Greg said that it would take a lot of work, but the histories could be traced through old tax records or old Aggie Land yearbooks in the advertisement section. A lot of the old businesses advertised, and those ads usually gave the location of the business. David said the ideas presented gave him plenty of topics to bring up at the joint meeting. V. REVIEW OF APPLICATION FOR HISTORIC HOMES: Bill asked if there were any applications for historic homes. David stated that there were no new applications. He also told the Committee that he had talked to the Pruitt's, and they would attend either the November or December City Council meeting to receive their plaque. Bill asked if the Council presented the plaques. David stated that the Mayor presented them at the City Council meetings. David explained that for a short while the Historic Committee presented them, but it was decided that it would raise awareness on the importance of the program if the Mayor presented the plaques. Bill commented that he needed to write up the application for his own home. He also commented that he owned the home next door to his which had once been owned by Pinky Downs, for whom Downs Natatorium was named. Florace stated that the Downs' home should have a city marker as well. VI. UPDATE ON INTERURBAN TROLLEY: Greg stated that some of the ideas had already been discussed. He said that the Northgate Steering Committee had discussed the possibility of having a remote garage at the mud lot and having the trolley on tracks going from the mud lot to the proposed plaza area, which is the parking area behind the Dixie Chicken. David asked where the mud lot was. Lois explained that it was where the old drive-in theater used to be. David asked if this would be a trolley on rails or with rubber tires, and Greg stated it would be on a rail, and therefore, it wouldn't have to turn around -it could go back on the same track. Greg said there was also some discussion of building a parking garage behind the plaza with retail space on the bottom. Bill stated that there used to be a double decker bus that ran between Doux Chene Apartments and the campus, which was owned by Doux Chene. Greg stated that he needed to know the exact beginning and ending dates for the trolley, and asked the members to help him search through the old Eagle and Battalion newspapers. He stated that the trolley began running in June, 1910, but he wanted an exact date so that when the anniversary came around an announcement or story could be done by the news media. It would help to create more awareness about the trolley. He believes it stopped running in 1923, however he's been given conflicting dates between 1923 and 1929. Greg brought in some old copies of the Aggie Land and the Long Horn which he'd purchased from Student Publications. They had told him that he could purchase any books that they had duplicates of, and he ended up buying thirty volumes. He paid the same price as a new one, which he felt was a bargain, because some were old and quite rare, such as a 1912 edition with the original leather Historic Preservation Committee Page 6 cover. He stated that he has a total of 42 volumes in his collection ranging from 1912 to the present, and that he would be happy to allow any members of the Committee to use them for research if they needed them. He had some duplicates of newer books that he would be willing to donate to the Historic Committee if they wanted to start a library of the Aggie Lands and Long Horns. VII. OTHER COMMITTEE CONCERNS: David asked the members of the Committee if they wanted to man the depot on a volunteer basis, once it was built, or if they thought it would be better to get a student group to man it, such as the Corp of Cadets who man the Sanders Corp Center. Greg said a student group would be best, such as MSC Hospitality. Steve asked if this would be ongoing, and David stated yes. David, through his conversations with David Godbey, learned that the planning committee at A&M would want to know if the museum would just be open or if it would be secure, with someone there all the time. Steve stated that he knew that Godbey was trying to tie it in to the Archives, but that there would have to be funds to employ a docent. Steve commented that he felt that it would be best to man the museum with a student rather than Committee members. David asked what type dollar amount it would take to hire a docent, and Steve said it could be fairly inexpensive, especially if work/study programs were used. Also, it would depend on how many hours per week it would remain open, what was in the museum, etc. The Committee agreed that it would be difficult for the members to man the museum themselves. Steve said that some of the money for the ongoing maintenance of the facility, should to be committed to employing someone to work at the museum. Greg asked what needed to be done to start a collection of Aggie Land and Long Horn yearbooks for the Committee. David stated that it could be started right away. Bill commented that there were some excellent historical pictures in the books, and Greg agreed that they would be good reference books for the Committee to use. David commented that Glenda Brundridge had donated pictures and books which were on display at the Conference Center in glass bookcases, and that he would like to start an historical library. He's talked to a few people in town who would like to start a College Station historical - almost like a genealogical - room somewhere, where people could go to read and/or do research. David suggested that the Conference Center or the College Station Library would be a good place to put a collection, but the opinion of most of the citizens he'd talked to was that they did not want such a library or room to be located at the Bryan Library. Greg agreed that it should be located in the City of College Station. Lois stated that it was too bad that they didn't want it at the Carnegie Library where all the other genealogical stuff would be, because that's where people would go to do research. David said according to what he's been told, some of these people have seen books at the Carnegie Library, and then the books have disappeared never to be seen again. None of those books are supposed to be checked out. The concern from these citizens is that if they are going to donate to the cause, they want to make sure that their donation will be safe and secure and that it will be there for the public to use, and not just locked up behind a piece of glass. Lois stated that she was a genealogist and that the Carnegie Library was going to be a regional research center. People coming in to Brazos County to do research would go there, and the College Station information should be located there as well. David stated that as far as the collection of Aggie Land and Long Horn books were concerned, those books would remain in the possession of the Historic Preservation Committee, and starting a collection could begin immediately. David stated that if they weren't free and cost a little bit, it would be O.K., because the Committee had a $2,600 budget to spend on plaques, postage, lunches, or any costs the Committee might incur. Greg asked about bookshelves to store the books in, and David said bookshelves could be purchased. Bill asked about security, and Greg commented that the building was locked at night, but perhaps locked bookcases could be purchased. Bill stated that there were some yearbooks in Bryan at the antique place on the corner of 25th and Bryan, and he didn't know how old they were, or if they were Aggie Land or Long Horn books, but they were located in the back of the building on some shelves. Lois asked if it was "The Attic". David said there were two antique stores down there. Bill stated that the store was on the corner of William J. Bryan and Bryan. Bill asked if anyone had any Committee Concerns. Lois stated that if the Committee ever needed anyone to do a one-shot job to call her, and she'd be glad to help. Historic Preservation Committee Page 7 Greg stated that he had two Aggle Land books in his car that he would be glad to donate then and there - a 1986 and a 1987 - to get the Committee's collection started. He stated that the books would go up in value. He recommended checking with Student Publications to add to the collection, because they have duplicates from 1970 to the present. Bill asked if there was a full collection on campus somewhere. Steve said yes, but many had been rebound and weren't in their original condition. He stated that in the past, the Archives have donated and exchanged books for various reasons. Greg asked David if he would be reimbursed if he located books ith thatothers Committee didn't already have and purchased them. David said that there would be no problem getting him reimbursed if the Committee agreed. Greg commented that if anyone had an opportunity to stop at a garage sale or an antique store and look through the books, then it wouldn't take long to get a collection together. He wanted to make everyone aware that there was no 1945 edition published, and that in 1946, a first and second edition were published - one tan and one blue. The first book called the Olio came out in 1895, and that was the only There was a lapse from 1896 until 1903, and then they began publishing tem again as ear it wasP the Long g Horn. Greg stated that this year's edition -the 1995 Aggle Land- would be the 100th Anniversary edition, and he had been told that something special would be done. David asked what year the name changed from the Long Horn to the Agile Land Bill and Steve both said they believed it was 1949. Bill asked if there was a collection of historical telephone books somewhere. Steve said there wasn't that he knew of. Bill asked if anyone knew if the phone company had a file of telephone books. Lois stated that she thought there might be a collection in the library. David stated that he would call Jane Kee with the Community Appearance Committee about meeting on Friday, November 4, 1994 at noon, and that someone would get be in touch with the members once everything was set. VIII. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.