The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutMarker Application 101603COLLEGE STATION HISTORIC MARKER APPLICATION NAME, ADDRESS & PHONE NUMBER OF SUBMITTER: IS E H To Flo a- s— Pt E. A O ( U AL Ve D2.1v Co Le 6.1 E S -r�y�r X + e v Co ( 0 L-L of structure: B. Q SUBJECT MARKER 1. THIS MARKER NOMINATION IS FOR A: A. Ig STRUCTURE MARKER Structure is a Co M M. ► 1 4 1 HovSE If a home, was it formerly located on campus? A+ ov L To 5 ' i rE ofd W K O LLG MAN Owner's Name & Current Mailing Address & Phone Number: CoMM0ni1 TA HouS� I c. To MM 1 P &e -- ) Ptie I D E Air" 9 ov V 6.5_ TX -'4- ( ) (('°c) b`4 C2 s- z_ -P-[ S Bo4i=- DitJ6n) (Home /Building) es (No) C� c �-E G E Cr-67-,0 .•� I T X � g` o This nomination is for: (Event/Topic /Person /Object) The title of this subject is: Is the proposed marker to be placed on public or private property? Address where marker will be placed: College Station Historical Marker Application Page 2 II. Describe the significance of this nomination with as much detail as possible: You may attach additional pages for your narrative, if needed. Be sure to attach supporting documentation to this form. See THE MARKER PROCESS for guidelines. Documentation Community House is located on 400 W. Holleman. It is located at the corner diagonally opposed to the Lincoln Center. Both facilities have been served the community for many decades. The structure itself is a wood frame house with a covered front porch. The style of the building is typical of houses constructed in the 30's, similar to the housing located behind the A &M Police Department that was razed in the 80's. The Community House is listed in the book, "College Station, Texas 1938/1988" by Deborah Lynn Balliew (Intaglio Press, College Station ISBN 0- 944091- 00 -8). On page 85, there are two pictures, one of W.A. Tarrow, teacher and principal of College Station schools, with Mrs. Brown's sixth grade. The other picture shows the Community House itself. Enclosed you will find a photocopy of the page. The book can be requested through the City of College Station, City Secretary's office. Part of the narrative of the page 85 is as follows: "Tarrow helped organize and served as president of Community House, a day care and social services organization begun with private donations and volunteers in 1953. He received the Lane Bryant [Community] Award for distinguished community service, presented at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in 1966." A search of the County Courthouse records for Community House yielded the following: Volume 115, page 461 - Sale of a number of tracts, including the land that the Community House is located on. Dated March 18, 1944. Volume 122, page 91 - Plat for the McCulloch subdivision. This plat identifies the lots on which the Community House is located, as well as the surrounding streets. Dated January 14th, 1946. Volume 197, page 89 - Warranty Deed without Lien for the property. Community House, Inc. was purchased from College Realty Company, Inc. (George McCulloch, president) for ten dollars. Dated September 16th, 1958, filed April 29th, 1959. Volume 162, page 97 - Federal Tax Lien on property. There was a period in the Community House's history when this building was in financial trouble. The courthouse records list additional years of tax liens. However, Community House, Inc. has since paid off the liens. The officers of Community House, Inc. are as follows: Tommie Preston, Chairman Anne Whiting, Secretary Jed T Wells, Treasurer Clara Moore, Asst. Secretary Mrs. Charles Marie Peterson, Asst. Treasurer Apparently, when United Way tried to bring together the Boys and Girls Clubs of the region including Bryan, College Station, Navasota and other surrounding cities, the whole deal fell through. That eventually led to the house being unused and the IRS selling the property for a tax lien. That's where the five above mentioned citizens provided funds, out of their own pocket, to purchase the property - to save it. A check with Brazos CAD Real Property Information shows the property as being owned by Community House, Inc., Block 3, Lots 1, 2 and 5 of the McCulloch subdivision. It also lists the property as exempt, and more significantly, does not list the build date of the building. This is a recurring theme in the history of Community House - more on this later. jgnificance The greatest historical and social significance of Community House is the service it provided to the Community. It served as a day care / kindergarten, as a senior center, as a Girls Club, and as a church. The services have been provided at least as far back as 1953. Perhaps the most famous person involved with Community House was W.A. Tarrow. Mr. Tarrow was president of Community House in 1953. As you know, he was just honored with a plaque next to Lincoln Center. He was also awarded the lane Bryant [Community] Award in 1966. To supplement the limited documentation on the Community House, a number of local residents involved with the Community House and its activities have been interviewed about their experiences with the Community House. Below is a summary of the interviews. We wish to offer the same to aid the City's oral history programs, as well. Tommie Preston, RFD 5, 846 -8521 Mr. Tommie Preston, who used to work with Parks and Recreation, has been involved with Community House for a number of years. He mentioned some of the activities that were done at Community House: kindergarten in the 50's, the Girls Club. It also served as a meeting house, as he put it, for meetings for just about any group who needed it until Lincoln [Center] took over. Most recently, about 3 -4 years ago, he and four other local residents bought the house when it was sold by the IRS; they invested funds out of their own pocket. He currently serves as President of Community House, Inc. He is hopeful that someone in the community or the City itself will step forward and help recoup his expenses. He, too, states that the house was moved to its present site, and in the future would like to try to provide more documentation on the Community House, especially when someone else takes over. He also mentioned that the Community House still serves the community. Once a week, church services are held there. All that was asked of the parishioners is that they help pay the utilities, to help support the Community House. To the interviewer, this is a case of the community supporting the community. Dorcas Moore, 1118 Detroit, 821 -3488 Ms. Dorcas Moore is one of the people who has benefited from the Community House. She attended kindergarten there, in '69/'70. She told me that her oldest brother Sterling attended in '59 /'60, as well as her other siblings. When she was 7 years old, she went to the Girl's Club there. There was also a (futuristic) 4 -H club. Bob Slasher of United Way was mentioned as being involved in running the clubs. She always understood that the house had been moved to this site, and is checking with her mother to expand the knowledge of the Community House's history. Norma Miller, 504 Guernsey, 696 -4454 Mrs. Norma Miller moved to College Station in 1953. She remembers that the building served as a Girls Club, run by United Way. She also remembers donating crafts when it served as a senior center, to provide activities for the elderly. Mrs. Miller lives at 504 Guernsey, which has been awarded College Station Historic Marker #34. She strongly supports the City issuing a plaque to the Community House. I have enclosed an email from her with more information on the Community House and We The People. Ethel Dellev, 1301 Haines, 693 -0880 Ethel Delley, a retired schoolteacher from CSISD told of Community House being a kindergarten in '59 or '60 - her nephew attended in '63/'64. She also mentioned that it served as a day care center, and later on, as a Girls Club. After she retired ('92) she went there to do tutoring (when it was a girls club). She mentioned that Gladys Nell Stewart was a supervisor and taught there. Mary Leland (deceased) was on the board, as well as Florence Caldwell (deceased). She also mentioned to talk to Grace Hall, now living in Calvert. Annie Williams, TAES, 862 -7108 She has two daughters, Rhonda and Olivia, who went to the Girls Club in the '70s. Her kids went under Florence Caldwell. Olivia later returned to serve as director of the Girls Club in the early '90s, a case of those who benefited returning to benefit others. James and Andre Steen, 103 Holleman, 696 -2581 They live just behind Lincoln Center at 103 Holleman. Andre was on the board of Community House. They also remember the building being moved there. Mr. Steen is willing to look up more information on the history. Monroe Renchie, 695 -0230 Mr. Monroe Renchie has been a resident of College Station except during the years of 1955 through 1991. He knew of the Community House back in 1953, and remembers that it was a house moved from campus. When he returned in 1991, he remembers the house being used as a Girls Club, as he frequently saw girls going to the house after school. He also mentioned that the house is still being used for church services. He is investigating as to which church attends there. As a side note, he mentioned that there was another house on Carolina Street, owned by Robert (deceased) and Charlotte Smith. The campus house on their property burned and has been replaced since. We are forwarding this information to A &M (Melanie Hill in the Reading Room of Cushing Library, 845 -1951) to help them determine if this was one of the campus houses and perhaps account for one more of the missing campus houses. We wish to thank Dr. Paul Van Riper and Dr. Charles Schultz and the personnel at Cushing Library for their efforts in tracing what we know of the history of Community House. There is still debate as to whether the house came from campus. The consensus is it was moved to this site, but whether it came directly from campus, or was moved from another city location, well, that's for us to continue to investigate. Community House is historically significant for its ties to Mr. Tarrow and socially significant for its community service. We have to preserve the history of College Station for those who come after us. In the long term, we should work with more residents to continue to develop the history of Community House, working with the Cushing Library, College Station's archives, and most importantly, adding to the oral history of the Community House. There are many more citizens who are willing and able to contribute oral histories on Community House and other historical sites in College Station. We hope that this application is the springboard that will start more work before it is all forgotten and lost. Community House's history continues to evolve. Currently it provides a place for church services, once a week. We also understand that Bible study and Sunday school is held there. So, adding to all its past history, Community House still serves as a meeting house for local residents, providing valuable social services to the community - hence its name. Community House, above all else, has served as a hub of the community social services. Over the decades of its existence, it has provided a number of social activities for the local population. By preserving the history of Community House, we can retain that anchor to the past of Old College Station, to honor those who served under its roof. By awarding Community House with a historic plaque, the City is honoring the memory of those who served there and the services they provided their fellow neighbors. Let u.6 not fanget what the ffaae done. Let us not d&stuu/ what the(' have Burt. From: Norma Miller <normil @tca.net> To: Benito Flores <bflores @elitesoft.com> Date: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 2:20 PM Subject: Historic Preservation Committee Historical Plaque, Community Center, aka Girls' Club, Holleman @ Eleanor At the first meeting of "We, the People" neighborhood organization, we designated getting a plaque for this building as our chief goal. A collection was taken at that time which has been held since. Jo Carroll, Community Dev., stated not long after that she wanted the building destroyed. Nothing further until the recent stories circulating from her and from the PD that the building would be destroyed or moved for a new PD substation and possibly a food pantry...with HUD funds. The community feels that preserving this building which was the first kindergarten for black children, later a girls' club, and a community center for senior citizens, is certainly worthy of consideration. We feel that the building can be preserved, renovated, and still used for a sub - station and /or food pantry. This is a very visible corner and properly cared for could be a valuable asset to the entire area. Norma L. Miller 504 Guernsey College Station 696 -4454 Fas 694 -8338 e -mail: normil(a�tca.net 05/05/99 Page 1 of 1 Brazos CAD Properties BRAZOS CAD Real Property Information Brazos Account Number: R32262 Cross Reference Number: 403500 - 0003 -0010 Owner's Name and Mailing Address Location 400 W HOLLEMAN College Station , TX Description Taxing Entities COMMUNITY HOU S 400 W HOLLEMAN COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 MCCULLOCH (GEORGE), BLOCK 3, LOT 1,2,5 Code G1 S2 C2 N/A N/A N/A N/A Name Brazos County College Station ISD College Station http://www.taxnetusa.com/Brazosdetail.cfm?theKey=R32262 98 certified value information reflects the certified Appraisal Roll. The 98 working value represents any changes that may have taken place since certification. This information current as of 3/31/99. PROPERTY Exemptions Freeze Amount Number of Improvements Land Acres Year Built weed Date Deed Volume Deed Page EX' Tax Year Total Improvement Value 2 '. Land Market Value Total Market Value 0 197,263 Total Assessed Value 89,400 Another Search by Short Account Number Another Search by Long Account Number Another Search by Owner Name Another Search by Address VALUE INFOAMA`l'ION . 1998 Working Value! 1998 Certified Value', $14,470 $19,870 $19,870 $14,470 $5,400 $19,870! $19,870 1 of 1 05/04/99 9:00 AM Form 666 (Y) (Roy. January IDD1) District Place of Filing Austin. TX This notice was prepared and signed at the O1st day of Octobgg 224 Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service Notice of Federal Tax Lien Under Internal Revenue Laws PERSONAL PROPERTY BRAZOS COUNTY BRYAN, TX 77801 Serial Number For Optional Use by Recording Office As provided by sections 6321, 6322, and 6323 of the Internal Revenue Code, notice Is given that taxes (Including Interest and penalties) have been assessed against the following -named taxpayer. Demand for payment of thi .o ' liability has been made, but It remains unpaid. Therefore, there is a lien I - favor of the United States on all property and rights to property belonging t t this taxpayer for the amount of these taxes, and additional penalties u,�: Interest, and costs that may accrue. x y i :. Name of Taxpayer COMMUNITY HOUSE ? 4 ND Z Residence PO BOX 9698 r COLLEGE STATION, TX 77842 -9698 _. , IMPORTANT RELEASE INFORMATION: With respect to each assessment listed I below, unless notice of lien is retiled by the date given in column (e), this notice shall, on the day following such date, operate as a certificate of release as defined in IRC 6325(a). Tax Period Date of Last Day for Unpaid Balance Kind of Tax Ended Identifying Number Assessment Refiling of Assessment (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (0 CIVP 12/31/87 74- 1794136 09/24/90 10/24/00 14:35.00 CIVP 12/31/88 74- 1794136 09/30/91 10/30/01 483.00 CIVP 12/31/89 74- 1794136 09/28/92 10/28/02 1104.00 941 12/31/88 74- 1794136 01/28/91 02/27/01 1025.00 941 09/30/90 74- 1794136 09/02/91 10/02/01 409.00 941 12/31/90 74- 1794136 09/02/91 10/02/01 695.00 92 Austin. TX 749237953 Signature % Q >1if7 for Rocky Oulntana I Title Revenue Officer 74 -01 -2938 (NOTE: Certificate of officer authorized by law to take acknowted n of eenTglhe validity of Nottu of Federal Tax Ilan R. Rut. 71-46e, 1971 .2 C.B. 409) V0� PA;E �7 / Form 688 (Y) (aw. 1•et) Pan 1 - Kept By Recording Office • Total S 503.103 m 71 5151.00 , on this, viAii kETT fcl`ICl�lccitli�vi LTIMO OMOINOO111MO O LAMO V IMO 4414 0AO1TO11 OKOOK 'K WY • , TOMAS 77404 Lot' &P .00< s Ler ALD D. GARRE /4 /V 41, gg 4/ fit la'a /8 ' P �E � OF re c",. Loy 400 NoLL emle W PN m i k r,7 /. ,2 . Lot 5 Block of the M7Zh LPG'tis ///3D ///,' 'QN to the City of �� f 5 :1 /1. Aravr,e according to the plat recorded in Volume 'SR Page 2/0 of the Deed of Records of Brazos County, Texas. I, Donald D. Garrett, Registered Public Surveyor, No. 2972 do hereby certify that the above plat is true and correct and agrees with a survey made on the ground under my supervision on igge h /` /S , 19_6$. I further certify that no improvements on this property encroach on adjacent property nor do any improve- ments on adjacent property encroach on this property, except as shown. This property$ /is not in a 100 -year flood hazard area as established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. . ' . .....1: •.E . •- is—, . , ---:.•'•::- ,. . -__ . • t ..-....1-4- , ._ '7 • .. .j.'.. - ii. ..._. • . _ ______ • .-;.4. _ — , - ,...•••it,..- ,,, ...• -,..,- •••••• ... - 4, ,....it - - -4-.....2 •••• ..,.., „.... r..,...„.:• •,.. •.• .. .. .1,47,7-1;42.-.1:40:. ATAC .-4- Ti . i".„ Tialfjot.„L ,1%):).3.srra la -I-• - : - : ,- : • • . - ' , .- : ' • ' -;. -'-'•:"' -1741i - - .. sc.t..3 ., 'p.1. 't +...• - .7.1:40,- Q4' --T; 6hoo.pi 1 r-t■ -1 • r • — . f -:- . • -i.il y.t"A••4 '10:V fie>: az ' ; ! ' ' '• ..,..: scr i- z • I:. -.- - .-- i • - -, : -. -. • .'• - -• .-.• .4--, . - `31416i4,40t,i-1 ."' 1" .... ' 1 7 -• .i . ' r - :: - • • Ava.t)-:V1 ' •-:-:,----,;.-- ' "t• . ' - • a , ti n D4 .zylicl hcOCI:. ::,_• , : 'i': • _ ...-7.,..---..t,i--- if ; :- , • • I r • -- 1:4L 1 -0;14 _ J [ ; -77 4tiD - . • - .7i.%; • , . . . -;- NI Pt _Lad N3 Y *o_LNil FA4111 . • • •, • _ r•-1.+4-rA xi SA:a Cr'''D TWV)4 . . . • • • • • i 4 (I I ) I 1 ov-a H AO I TT 1 ..301AdO • r , . t•- 1'4 . : ,___1004202040, by Deborah Lynn Balliew COT I EGE STA1 O NIm CZ) C)0 00 CCMMUNITY HOUSE; 85 WA. Tarrow served as teacher and principal in the College Station schools (Lincoln Highschool and College Station Elementary) for over twenty years. He is pictured here with students in Mrs. Brown's sixth grade; (Front rows left to right) Keith Boutain, Jimmy Bohanan, Shelia Taylor, Delphine Barron, Kathy Dawson (Back row, left to right) Principal W.A. Tarrow, Kennard Roy, Charles Merchant, Michael Lenz, Hebree Searcy, Richard Groot, Mary Brown. Tarrow helped organize and served as president of Community House, a day care and social services organization begun with private donations and volunteers in 1953. He received the Lane Bryant Award for distinguished community ser- vice, presented at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in 1966. COI IRTI -SY EI)NA TARROW AND HELEN SIMPSON