Historic Preservation Plan
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City of Galveston Historic Preservation Plan May 30, 2012 Historic Preservation Plan i Prepared by Winter & Company and HDR Engineering for the City of Galveston, Texas as part of Progress Galveston, a planning initiative led by the City’s Department of Planning & Community Development. Technical assistance provided by Kendig Keast Collaborative and the Law Offices of Kimberley Mickelson. City of Galveston Landmark Commission Richard Batie (former Commissioner) Michael Culpepper Greg Lewis Heidi Lutz Russell Mertens (Alternate) Charlotte O’Rourke Joe Rozier Tom Schwenk (Alternate) Nelson Smelker Linda Strevell Rusty Legg (Ex-Officio) City of Galveston Department of Planning and Community Development Wendy O’Donohoe, Director Lori Feild Schwarz, AICP, Assistant Director of Planning and Special Projects/HPO Catherine Gorman, AICP, Planning Manager/Assistant HPO Winter & Company Noré Winter Abe Barge, AICP HDR Engineering, Inc. Steve Schukraft, AICP Stefanie McQueen, AICP Completed as part of Progress Galveston, a planning initiative led by the City’s Department of Planning & Community Development with technical assistance provided by HDR Engineering, Inc., Kendig Keast Collaborative and the Law Offices of Kimberley Mickelson. Partial funding provided through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Contact: City of Galveston Department of Planning & Community Development 823 Rosenberg | P.O. Box 779 City of Galveston, TX 77553 (409) 797-3660 [email protected] Special thanks to David Salyer for the loan of his private www.ProgressGalveston.com collection of Galveston postcards. ii City of Galveston CONTENTS Introduction 1 A Vision for Sustainable Preservation in Galveston .........2 Preservation Supports Economic Sustainability ...................... 2 Preservation supports environmental sustainability ............... 4 Preservation supports cultural/social sustainability ............... 6 The Role of the Preservation Plan ..................................7 Use of the Preservation Plan ................................................ 7 Relationship to Other Plans and Policies ............................... 8 Preservation Program Overview ....................................9 Administration Component ................................................ 10 Identification Component .................................................. 12 Management Component ................................................... 13 Incentives and Benefits Component .................................... 16 Education and Advocacy Component ................................... 19 Chapter 1 Historic Resources in Galveston 21 The Historic Development of Galveston ........................ 22 Galveston’s Historic Contexts ...................................... 28 Galveston’s Historic Landmarks and Districts ................ 29 Individual Historic Landmarks ............................................ 29 Historic and Conservation Districts ..................................... 31 Chapter 2 Preservation Goals and Policies 41 General Goals, Policies and Actions ............................. 42 Administrative Goals, Policies and Actions ................... 52 Identification Goals, Policies and Actions ..................... 57 Management Goals, Policies and Actions ...................... 60 Incentives and Benefits Goals, Policies and Actions ....... 67 Education and Advocacy Goals, Policies and Actions ..... 71 Chapter 3 Preservation Action Plan 77 Phasing Criteria ......................................................... 78 Action Matrix ............................................................. 80 Historic Preservation Plan iii The 1872 Tremont Hotel at the corner of Post Office and Tremont (demolished in 1928) iv City of Galveston INTRODUCTION Galveston is a special place with an identity expressed in its cultural resources. This Preservation Plan defines Galveston’s vision for sustainable preservation of those resources and sets forth related goals, policies and actions. It also provides a frame- work for other groups and organizations engaged in community-based initiatives with interests in protecting and experiencing cultural resources. The Preservation Plan works with the City of Galveston Comprehensive Plan as well as related federal, state and local programs. It consolidates previously adopted policies and sets forth new goals, policies and actions. The plan approaches historic preservation as an integral element of community development and livability. It touches on many subjects that appear in other City planning documents while presenting additional program-specific actions related to the components of a complete preservation program. As an update to the 2005 Progress Through Preser- vation plan, this plan builds on hundreds of hours of work by preservation professionals and community volunteers. Additional public outreach for this plan included community workshops, stakeholder focus groups and study sessions with the Landmark Com- mission. In This Chapter Following this introduction, the plan is divided into A Vision for Sustainable Preservation in Galveston 2 three primary chapters: Preservation Supports Economic Sustainability ...............2 Preservation supports environmental sustainability ........4 • Chapter: 1 Historic Resources in Galveston. Preservation supports cultural/social sustainability ........6 The history of preservation in Galveston and a The Role of the Preservation Plan 7 general overview of the City’s historic resources Use of the Preservation Plan .........................................7 • Chapter 2: Preservation Goals and Policies. A Relationship to Other Plans and Policies ........................8 series of goals, policies and actions that Preservation Program Overview 9 will help to achieve the vision for historic Administration Component .........................................10 preservation in Galveston Identification Component ...........................................12 • Chapter: 3 Preservation Action Plan. A strategy Management Component ............................................13 and sequence for execution recommendations Incentives and Benefits Component .............................16 Education and Advocacy Component ...........................19 Historic Preservation Plan 1 Introduction A VISION FOR SUSTAINABLE Environmental Sustainability PRESERVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY GALVESTON Cultural/Social Economic The overall goal for historic preservation in Galveston is to promote Sustainability Sustainability the island’s heritage and encourage the preservation and revitaliza- tion of historic resources for the educational, cultural, and economic benefit of all. The City should lead by example, integrating preserva- tion objectives into all of its policies and actions. What is Historic Preservation directly supports the three primary components of a Preservation? community sustainability effort, as summarized below. Preservation means having prop- erties and places of historic and Preservation Supports cultural value in active use and Economic Sustainability accommodating appropriate im- provements to sustain their vi- This component of sustainability relates to the economic balance ability while maintaining the key, character-defining features which and health of the community. Historic buildings represent a substan- contribute to their significance tial economic investment by previous generations. The economic as cultural resources. Preserva- benefits of protecting historic resources are well documented across tion also means keeping cultural the nation and in Texas. These include higher property values, job resources intact for the benefit of creation in rehabilitation industries and increased heritage tourism. future generations. That is, while maintaining properties in active Historic preservation is not anti-property development. Many fast- use is the immediate objective, growing communities have strong preservation programs that help this is in part a means of assur- ing that they will be available for shape new development and redevelopment to work within the others in the future. framework of the community’s heritage. Historic preservation also is an Galveston’s historic preservation successes have had a powerful integral component of other positive economic impact on the City. A 1996 study revealed a community initiatives in neigh- number of major conclusions regarding the economic impacts of borhood livability, sustainability, historic preservation efforts in Texas, including the City of Galveston economic development and cul- ture. With this understanding, and other Texas communities with historic preservation projects: the term “historic preservation” includes the specific methodolo- • Historical designations improve property values gies associated with maintaining • Incentives for historic properties attract reinvestment integrity of significant resources, • Historic building rehabilitation rebuilds communities but also covers a range of “charac- • Preservation of historic properties creates jobs ter management tools” that serve • Texas heritage attracts tourists to maintain traditional features of established neighborhoods. Many • History museums draw tourists and economic vitality to of these tools are described later communities. in this plan. 2 City of Galveston Introduction Livability and Business Historic preservation efforts support community livability by help- ing to conserve desirable neighborhoods, shape compatible devel- opment and promote