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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/10/1996 - Regular Minutes - Historic Preservation Committee HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1996 -- 5:15 P.M. CENTRAL PARK CONFERENCE ROOM 1000 KRENEK TAP ROAD HISTORIC COMMITTEE Joan Lamkin, Chairman; Bill Lancaster, Co- Chairman; Mary Jane Hirsch; MEMBERS PRESENT: Deborah Jasek; Steven Smith; Sharon Menn; Carol Wagner; Aaron Ffrench, Old Main Society Liaison MEMBERS ABSENT: Gary Halter; Dennis Maloney; Bill Fox, Council Liaison STAFF PRESENT: David Gerling, Special Facilities Superintendent; Pamela Einkauf, Senior Secretary VISITORS PRESENT: Becky McIntyre, 611 Montclair; James Jimenez, 2200 Echols; John and Patricia McDermott, 701 Dexter I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 5:18 p.m. by Joan Lamkin, Chairman. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: There were two sets of minutes which needed to be approved. The minutes of the October 4, 1995 meeting were discussed at the November meeting, however, no quorum was present for approval. Bill Lancaster made the motion to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded and passed. The minutes for the October meeting were approved with no changes. Since the Committee did not meet in December, the minutes of the November 1, 1995 meeting also needed to be approved. Debbie Jasek made the motion to approve the minutes, the motion was seconded and passed. The November 1, 1995 minutes were approved as written. 3. HEAR VISITORS: Joan announced that there were visitors present. David asked the visitors if they were present to discuss items on the agenda, or if they had something else they wished to discuss. Becky McIntyre and James Jimenez stated that they were present to listen. The McDermotts said they had attended because they'd read in the newspaper that lighting and signage for the Southside area would be discussed at the meeting. Joan asked if there were any other topics the visitors would like to discuss. Since there were none, Joan suggested going directly to the agenda item dealing with Southside signage. 4. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Joan asked the chairperson of each subcommittee if they had anything to report: Historic Preservation Committee Page 2 Southside Signage: Dennis was not present. David asked the McDermott's if they would like to voice their concerns. Mr. McDermott stated that he and his wife were concerned about the lights going up on Glade. Several members of the Historic Preservation Committee (HPC) stated that they weren't aware of the lights going up. Mr. McDermott stated that they were large, ugly aluminum poles about 100 feet high. Mrs. McDermott added that the wooden poles were being replaced with aluminum poles. Mr. McDermott stated that three lights had been put up on Pershing and a few others at different locations, and that he and his wife didn't want those lights. David explained to the McDermotts that the lights being put up were not the lights the Committee would be discussing. He explained that the Historic Preservation Committee had been allotted $10,000 in the 1996 budget for some type of signage or lights which would be put up to designate Southside as an historical area. The Committee's job was to specify which portion of Southside to include in the Southside Historic District, and what type of signage to use. Distinctive street signs and street sign toppers had both been discussed. Mr. McDermott asked about lights, and David told him that there really wasn't enough money for lights. David commented that he had missed the article in the newspaper which had mentioned the lights, but with only $10,000, the Committee would only be able to purchase about five lights. Mrs. McDermott asked if there was a map showing the outline of what had been designated as the Southside Historical area. David said there was no map, but explained that the Committee had discussed including the area from George Bush and Wellborn to Luther, up Luther to Park Place, Park Place up to Lee and back to George Bush. The McDermotts stated that they did not fall into the area designated since they were just south of Park Place. Mr. McDermott stated that his cottage, as well as the house at 705 Dexter, were both built in the 1930's, and that everything after the creek was newer. Bill L. said the area on the Dexter side should extend to the creek, and should also include the house on Hereford which used to be Luther Jones' house, since it was built long before the others on that street. He commented that it might not be possible to include just that one house on Hereford as part of the Southside area, but that it should be. Bill also stated he saw no reason not to extend the boundary which was Park Place, further up, so that it would include both of the McDermott's houses. Mrs. McDermott expressed concern about the City's jurisdiction over the area outside the district. David explained that the HPC had been asked by the City Council to come up with a design for signs for the Southside area and to give the City staff its ideas on what it wanted. The HPC had until September 30, 1996 to decide what it wanted and to purchase the signs. He explained that the HPC was a City committee and that the City would be doing the bidding process, purchasing, installation etc. Mr. McDermott stated he felt it would be helpful if the area was designated a historical district, because then the residents might have a little more political clout when it came to dealing with issues such as traffic problems, paving Dexter, and any other situation which might come up. David agreed. He showed the visitors a sketch of a street sign topper which the HPC had discussed using. It had been proposed that the image of College Station train depot be used as the logo on the topper to designate the district as historic. David explained that the topper could be added to existing street signs. He commented that some cities use the more expensive, ornate signs, while others use signs similar to the brown, directional signs used to designate State Parks. Deborah told the visitors that installing the signs would give the area a separate identity, and at a later date if more funds were available, other things could be done. Mr. McDermott suggested having a couple of signs similar to the State Park signs to show the location of the district, installing the sign toppers, and having a sign at each end of the district stating you were entering/leaving the district. He commented that he felt the HPC could do that within the $10,000 budget. He also told the HPC that there were people who lived in the district who could provide the HPC with help. For example free design, metal work, etc. Joan felt this was a good idea and asked if it should be done in the form of a contest. David suggested putting out an invitation to the people Mr. McDermott felt would be willing to help, and having a meeting with those people. David asked Mr. McDermott for a list of the people he Historic Preservation Committee Page 3 thought would help out. Stacell, McCandless, Woodcock, Randy Barnes, Rodney Hill, and Jim Morgan, Maffei, were some of the names mentioned. Mr. McDermott said he would talk to the people he knew and get back to the Committee. Joan thanked the McDermotts for coming and bringing their ideas to the HPC's attention. Mr. McDermott commented that the small extension of Suffolk was behind their house. Bill L. felt that portion of Suffolk should also be included in the Southside district. Mrs. McDermott asked who they could talk to with the city about the street lights going in. David gave her a few names and phone numbers. Historical Tourism: Mary Jane said she had nothing new to report. Joan stated that at the previous Brazos County Historical meeting, the Presidential Corridor between Austin and College Station had been discussed. The Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau (ACVB) had sent a letter stating that they were interested in developing the corridor between the two cities. Joan stated that Steve Beachy would be attending a meeting in Austin on January 17, regarding the corridor development and wondered if there was anything the HPC wanted to include or emphasize in the brochure that the ACVB would be putting together. She said the information Austin had on Brazos County and College Station was poor and needed updating. She thought that it would help if Steve Beachy took lists of the College Station homes with city plaques, and the state markers in Brazos County with him to the meeting. Joan stated that the College Station Historic Homes brochure needed updating. Sharon suggested putting a map of the designated Southside Historical District in the College Station Historic Homes brochure when it was updated. Deborah said she felt Richard Carter Park should be emphasized. Joan asked if anything needed to be included on Northgate. David asked if the brochure that the ACVB was putting together, would be on the entire corridor area. Joan said it was, and that the document she saw was like a book, but she didn't know how much would be included. Bill stated that it was frustrating that all the information on the city wasn't documented and in order somewhere, and asked if the HPC had any state markers being done. David said the Black Education in College Station marker would be dedicated at Lincoln Center but no date had been set. Joan said the three A &M campus markers also needed to be included on the list, adding that Bryan would be sending its own list. She told the members to give Steve Beachy or Pam a call if they thought of anything else that should be included . Oral History: Joan stated that there were plans for another oral history meeting, but no date had been set. Research: Gary was not present to give an update, however, Joan said the state marker for the Corp of Cadets would be dedicated on February 24, 1996, at 11:30 a.m., at the Sanders Corp Center on campus. She said there would also be an historical marker dedication for the Gavin House in Bryan during the Tour of Homes Week in Bryan. David told the members that the HPC wasn't currently doing any research for state markers. Joan asked if the black churches had any type of history that could be researched. Bill stated that Washington Chapel would soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary. Deborah added that Pleasant Grove would be as well. She explained that Pleasant Grove was located just south of Holleman in a small area south of Lincoln Center, and that Lillian Robinson's brother was the pastor. She said she would go talk to Lillian's mother so that she could arrange to meet with that brother. Bill asked if his last name was Clark, and Deborah said yes. Joan asked if there could be a workshop held to help people write narratives for state markers. She stated that most of the churches at Northgate were getting close to the 75 -year mark which would qualify them for subject markers, and it would be a good idea if the HPC could get the narratives Historic Preservation Committee Page 4 written by someone from the churches. Deborah stated that she knew that St. Mary's Catholic Church was already gathering information for its history. Joan asked if there was form that could be followed to help write the narratives. Deborah said no, that the best thing to do would be look at old narratives which had already been done. She added that there was certain criteria which had to be met, and the most important thing was to make sure that all information used in the narrative was documented with some source. Joan asked if anyone knew of someone who'd be interested in doing some of the writing. David said Gary Halter was good at writing, but he did not know if he had the time to do it. Deborah said she wouldn't mind helping someone write, because the writing of the narrative didn't take her long -- it was finding the time to do the research. David said he would call Charles Schultz and see if anyone on the Brazos County Historical Society would be interested in writing some of the narratives, and if the Society would be willing to put on a narrative - writing workshop one evening for some of the church congregations. David stated that the ultimate goal would be to get state markers on the church congregations which qualify. Joan said she knew the HPC had also discussed getting markers for some of the older businesses in town, but that nothing had been done yet. Photo Document: Sharon said she'd been in contact with Richard Gunn of Commercial Images and he had a photo archive of Aggie Land files and University files. She said she had a list of some of the photos he had. She had also been in contact with Jane Kee, City Planner, and Ms. Kee was going to start sending Sharon a fax of what the City Planners were discussing in their weekly meetings so that she could be kept up -to -date on what was going on in the city. Sharon said one of the problems she'd had was knowing what was going on (businesses going in, etc.) so that she could take pictures. With Ms. Kee keeping Sharon informed, the HPC could then discuss whether or not photos were wanted. Sharon had also talked to Nanette Manhart, a GIS Coordinator with the City, who dealt with the dot maps -- growth maps, which were also available. Sharon said she needed to know what direction the HPC wanted to go in. She knew that the HPC wanted document back to the beginnings of College Station. She felt the only way she could document College Station's past accurately, would be if aerials and dot maps showing growth, as well as photographs were collected. The maps would help show expansion and growth. Bill agreed, stating that the HPC needed all of those things. He commented that he'd learned that aerials were not as readily available as he thought they were. He said it would be good to have one on file for every five years. Sharon agreed stating that she was going to go as far back as she could, and try to at least get something for every decade to document growth. She said she would begin taking photographs along with collecting aerials. Sharon asked if the HPC wanted to include in the photo collection, pictures of the houses, buildings, etc., that had city or state historical markers on them. She also asked if businesses should be included in the inventory, commenting that they went up all the time. Joan stated that it would be nice to have a street scene and be able to identify all the businesses /buildings in the picture and where the picture had been taken. Joan said that it would be a good idea to have a picture of the "Welcome to College Station" sign every census year Steve Smith stated that for the photo document project to be most successful, the HPC would probably only be able to document the major city projects, major business expansions, etc. He stated that since so many businesses come and go, it would be difficult to keep up with all of them. He also said that since the HPC was aware of the problem in getting aerial photos from the past, it probably would want to start now and make sure aerial photos were taken every five years Sharon asked if the HPC had funds to hire Richard Gunn (or someone he knows) to take aerial photos for the HPC. Steve stated that it's possible that someone may already be taking aerial photos, and the HPC could get copies. David stated the HPC did not have funds to have aerial photos taken, and it sounded more like an Engineering function. Bill felt sure that the Texas Highway Dept., or someone, took pictures regularly of the terrain. David said he was at Brazos County Road and Bridge recently and he noticed that they had a lot of aerials which were very old. He asked someone working there Historic Preservation Committee Page 5 if the HPC could get copies and they told him they didn't like letting the maps out of the office, for fear they wouldn't be returned. David did learn that the maps were not taken on any regular basis -- pictures might be taken several years in a row, and then it might be twelve years before another one was taken. Steve Smith suggested that Sharon look through the aerials in the A &M Archives. He commented that most of the aerials concentrated on campus, however, once in a while the photographs showed parts of the City beyond campus boundaries and you could see Eastgate and Southside, etc. Sharon asked him if copies could be made and he told her that he couldn't speak for David Chapman, the University Archivist, but that, yes, they could arrange to make copies of most of the maps for a nominal fee, if the HPC had a budget to allow for that. Joan asked Steve if he had time to pull some of those maps. Steve said he'd be happy to look through them again, but as he said, most focused on A &M. Sharon said that was fine, that A &M was history as well -- it was the beginning of College Station. Steve mentioned an exhibit that they had coming up which would have to do with mapping A &M. It would be historic maps of the University as far back as they could go. There would be aerial maps, topographic maps, etc., which might be of interest to the HPC. Steve asked how the HPC would store and preserve copies of the photos and maps it obtained. Joan stated that the HPC didn't necessarily need to have copies of everything in its files as long as it had a catalogue of the maps, aerials, etc., and knew where they could be found. Sharon said her idea was to be sure and document all historical sites and subjects relating to city government. Steve told Sharon that A &M would have information on the growth of campus which would show Southside, Eastside, and west of the University. He stated that once you got past Holleman, the University wouldn't have information on the new growth, and it would be best to keep in touch with the Engineering Department of the City. David told Sharon she could contact either Elrey Ash or Jane Kee for aerial photos of the City. Sharon stated that she'd talked to Mr. Ash before and that they didn't like to loan out the maps. Steve stated that since they would be loaned to a city committee there shouldn't be a problem. He added that in terms of preserving all of the information collected, it was important that there be some sort of archive or historical area in the new library that could house the collection. David stated that he'd read in city minutes that the architect for the library had been named. David discussed the library with the City Department handling the contract, and was told that the architect would meet with everyone who wanted something to do with the library and they would make sure he talked to the HPC to find out what it needed. David said it would be nice if the room was large enough to serve as a reserved reading room where all the HPC research could be housed -- nothing would be loaned out, but the materials could be used. David suggested that the HPC could meet there as well, if it was large enough. Joan reminded David that the Oral History Subcommittee was collecting photos as well, and they would need to go into the archive. David stated that some of those tapes and photos were stored in the fireproof file cabinets at the Central Park Office, however, the cabinets did not protect audio and video tapes from fire. He had been told that the best place to store those tapes would be a bank vault. Joan added that someone on the Oral History Subcommittee had checked into safety deposit boxes, and that tapes and videos stored there would have to be rewound every year. David said that the size of safety deposit box needed would have to be determined. Steve asked if an Archive or History Center was definitely in the plan for the new library and David said yes. Joan told Sharon that she should talk to Connie Hooks, the City Secretary, that she had a lot of photos in her office which had been used when the "Golden Memories" videotape was made. Deborah stated that Connie also had a scrapbook of newspaper clippings. David asked if that office had been keeping up with the scrapbook. Deborah said she didn't know if they had lately, but that it used to be anytime the City of College Station was mentioned in a newspaper somewhere, the article was put into the scrapbook. Joan stated that those City scrapbooks would also need to be in the HPC archives, and thanked Sharon for all the work she'd done so far. Sharon asked the HPC if it wanted all information collected kept in a scrapbook type set -up or in a file box. She asked if a list of everything A &M had, and where it could be located would be sufficient, instead of actually Historic Preservation Committee Page 6 getting copies of everything. The members agreed a list would be fine. David stated that Connie Hooks had talked to him about giving him all of her scrapbooks and information, but David told Mrs. Hooks that there was no place for him to store the information. It was decided that she would keep it until the library opened. Mary Jane stated that she had taken some pictures at Joan's request for the HPC, and that some were of the AmTrak Station. Joan asked where the AmTrak mural had gone. David stated that it had been moved to the high school. Bill stated that he had taken some photos of George Bush Drive looking in both directions, and the very next day bulldozers were on George Bush tearing it up. Sharon stated that she needed the pictures that both Bill and Mary Jane had taken. Steve told the HPC that he would take anything they collected up until the time the library opened, and keep them in his office at work, where they'd be protected from fire, etc. Sharon stated that if everyone would bring in what they had at the next meeting, she would start compiling the information. Sharon told Steve she'd bring the pictures, etc., for him to take care of, and then once the library was built, they could decide what type of format it all needed to be in. Mary Jane asked if it was good to write on the backs of pictures and Steve said definitely, but pencil needed to be used because ink from a pen could bleed through. David told Sharon that the HPC had funds for film and film processing. Sharon said what she really needed was a good camera. Guest Becky McIntyre suggested Sharon get a panoramic camera which she'd seen advertised in the Nature Company catalogue which was very inexpensive. She stated that she had a catalogue at home. Sharon said she'd call Ms. McIntyre to see if she could find the camera in the catalogue. Education: Joan asked if there was anything on Education. She felt the topic should be very simple, and that the HPC shouldn't have to keep a lot of information on hand just a list of resources, such as names of people who could speak on certain topics, etc. 5. OTHER COMMITTEE CONCERNS: Joan told the HPC that she was resigning, and turned in her letter of resignation. She told the HPC that she and her husband were moving to west Texas to Marathon. She told the members how much she'd enjoyed being on the HPC and thanked David and Pam for their hard work and interest in the Committee. She told the HPC that she and her husband had already joined the Museum Society in Marathon. Mary Jane thanked Joan for her leadership and ideas. Bill said that Mrs. McIntyre mentioned Timber Street and the fact that the school was moved there more than fifty years ago. He stated that since there were also some campus houses back there, perhaps the boundary for Southside should be extended to Timber. Sharon agreed since the school was historic, and Joan stated that the school had a state subject marker. David said that the members should think about how large they wanted the historic district to be, and they would discuss it at the next meeting. Sharon said to keep in mind, that what may seem large now for a historic area, would not seem so large in a few years, considering how fast the city was growing. 6. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. LIST OF ASSISTANCE FOR COLLEGE STATION HISTORIC DISTRICT SIGNAGE 1/ Charles McCandless, 310 Suffolk Ave., C.S., 693 -9149 2/ David Woodcock, 1511 Wolf Run Dr., C.S., 696 -4312 3/ Alan Stacell, 800 Park Place, C.S., 696 -9171 4/ Robert Schiffhauer, 601 Hereford, 696 -6671 5/ Rodney Hill, 119 Lee Avenue, C.S., 696 -9686 6/ Jim Morgan, 700 Dexter Dr., C.S., 693 -5961 7/ Jerry Maffei, 1102 Park Place, C.S., 693 -8310