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Mission
Board of
Directors
History of the Organization
GHPA Current Programs
Historic Neighborhoods Council
Current State of Preservation in Houston
GHPA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded
in 1978. Members include individuals, corporations and organizations.
Funding for programs and activities is provided through memberships
as well as grants and individual and corporate gifts.
Mission
Greater Houston Preservation Alliance
(GHPA) promotes the preservation and appreciation of Houston's
architectural and cultural historic resources through education,
advocacy and committed action, thereby creating economic value,
developing a stronger sense of community.
2007-08
Board of Directors
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Tony Abyad, President
Larry Whaley, President-Elect
Eileen Hricik, Past President
Patricia Laurent, Secretary
Lynne Bentsen, Treasurer
Nancy Ames, Vice President for Special Events
Al Calloway, Vice President for Communication/External Relations
Bill Franks, Vice President for Development
Rick Walton, Vice President for Museum of Houston
Voting Board Members
Michelle Barnes
Minnette Boesel
Tim Cisneros
Joe Colaco
David Cottrell
Carlo M. Di Nunzio
Phyllis Griffin Epps
Sidney Faust
Cindy Crane Garbs
Madeleine Hamm
Karen Henry
Andrew Kaldis
C.C. Lee
Jim Murname
Carmen Nadolney
Kathy Plaeger
Mary Ann Reynolds
Randhir Sahni
Louis H. Skidmore, Jr.
Janet Spencer
Ron Stone
Bill Stubbs
Phoebe Tudor
Ex-Officio
R. George Cunningham, Parliamentarian
Patrick Van Pelt, Chairman, Harris County Historical Commission
Charles D. Maynard, Jr., Legal Counsel
Randy Pace, City of Houston Historical Preservation Officer
Bart Truxillo, Director Emeritus
Marlene Gafrick, Director, City of Houston Dept. of Planning and Development
Staff
Ramona Davis, Executive Director
David Bush, Director, Programs and Information
Courtney Tardy, Director, Historic Neighborhoods Council
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History
of the Organization
Greater Houston Preservation
Alliance was founded in 1978. Originally a committee of
The Heritage Society, it became a separate organization
when committee members felt that they wanted to take a more
active role in preserving Houston's buildings, neighborhoods,
and communities. Since then, members of GHPA have worked
to preserve the best of our architectural and cultural heritage.
Committed action by GHPA has been
instrumental in saving some of our most precious historic
resources. For example, when the historic Pillot Building
was threatened with demolition in the late 1970s, GHPA began
an effort to save it. The building, built in the 1850s,
was one of the oldest surviving structures in downtown Houston.
It was owned by Harris County, but it had been abandoned
for many years and was in serious disrepair. Through a campaign
of determined advocacy, GHPA finally persuaded the county
to issue a ground lease that would allow a private developer
to save the building, which was finally renovated in the
late 1980s through a combination of restoration and reconstruction.
It opened in 1990 and now houses several law offices and
a restaurant.
GHPA has also been active in urban and neighborhood revitalization.
In 1986, GHPA completed an historic resource survey for
the Old Sixth Ward neighborhood, located just northwest
of downtown. Using the survey as a base, GHPA conducted
a series of bi-weekly meetings with the neighborhood that
ultimately led to a neighborhood cleanup, the rehabilitation
of 18 low-income historic houses, the creation of a neighborhood
park, and the formation of a neighborhood association. In
1990, GHPA took title to two small shotgun houses in the
neighborhood. Using a combination of donated labor and public
and private funds, the houses were rehabilitated and sold
in 1995 as affordable housing under the City of Houston
HOMES program.
In the late 1980s, GHPA took the lead in developing the
first Urban Main Street program, a project of the National
Trust for Historic Preservation initiated in Texas by the
Texas Historical Commission. The program is designed to
facilitate downtown revitalization in large cities through
preservation and was already operating successfully in smaller
towns throughout the state. GHPA, in partnership with Downtown
Houston Association, developed the program for Houston and
raised the money through a combination of private funding
and a grant from the City of Houston, thus spawning what
is now the Downtown Historic District Inc.
In 1995, GHPA, in partnership with representatives of Houston's
historic neighborhoods, successfully led the effort to secure
passage of the Historic Preservation Ordinance at City Council.
Our efforts in neighborhood revitalization continue today
through our Historic Neighborhoods Council, which brings
neighborhood representatives together to foster positive
change that will help all of us to maintain the quality
and character of Houston's neighborhoods.
GHPA
Current Programs
Advocacy
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Good
Brick Awards
GHPA's Good Brick Awards recognize
individuals, businesses and organizations for outstanding
preservation and restoration projects and programs,
or individuals who have made important contributions
to historic preservation. Learn
more >
Local Advocacy
GHPA works with Houston City Council,
the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission,
the Houston Planning Commission, the City of Houston
Planning and Development Department and other public
entities to promote historic preservation in public
policy.
Preservation Breakfast
Series
The GHPA Preservation Breakfast
Series is a series targeted to the business community,
showing how historic preservation makes good economic
sense.
Preservation Week Activities
GHPA celebrates National Preservation
Week with an annual luncheon and preservation fair.
Learn more >
Newsletter
For Preservation, the GHPA newsletter,
has a circulation of 6,000. It reports on GHPA programs
and projects and features articles dealing with local
preservation issues.
GHPA Web site
The GHPA Web site is updated regularly
and contains information on important historic preservation
issues, GHPA programs and special events, a community
calendar, real estate listings and volunteer information.
Preservation Alerts
GHPA regularly sends e-mail "preservation
alerts" regarding historic preservation and public
policy issues, which allow the public to have a voice
in shaping the future of the city. Subscribe
to the list and check
the latest preservation alerts > |
Education
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Historic
Walking Tours
GHPA's
popular guided tours offer both residents and visitors
an opportunity to learn about Houston's architectural
and historical character, as manifested by the city's
historic neighborhoods, sites, and landmarks. Walking
tours are open to the public and are held the fourth
Sunday of each month. GHPA also offers private group
tours. Researched and written by volunteers of
GHPA, the tours include more than 35 Houston neighborhoods
and landmarks. Learn
more >
Heritage Education Programs
GHPA has developed a special
heritage education curriculum for elementary school
students in Harris County and offers special lectures,
workshops, and symposia on preservation-related topics
to many local audiences. |
Committed Action
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Technical
Assistance and Advice
With a trained historic preservationist
on staff, active volunteers who are professionals
in historic preservation and historic architecture,
and a growing preservation library, GHPA is the primary
local source of free information about historic preservation.
Houston Historic Resources Database
The GHPA Historic Resources
Database is a compilation of all historic resources
in Houston. It includes resources listed on
the National Register, City Landmarks and Historic
Districts, Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks, and
resources listed in the Houston Architectural Survey,
the AIA Guide to Houston and other resource listings.
No other such database exists in Houston. There are
more than 600 properties listed on the database. Specialized
listings are available to members and those with preservation-related
needs.
Historic Designation Program
GHPA regularly assists with applications
for local and National Register historical designation,
particularly for communities or those who own significant
historic resources but are unable to hire a consultant
for designation. GHPA also annually teams with
the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission
and the City Planning Department to ask owners of
historic and cultural resources to locally designate
those resources.
Endangered Buildings Committee
GHPA has more than 30 active
volunteers working on the Endangered Buildings Committee.
This committee has been successful in raising public
awareness about Houston's important structures and
sites, and protecting those sites through local designation.
Learn more
>
Restoration Grants
Through a small but growing Endangered
Buildings Fund, GHPA is able to help save historic
landmarks with an emergency grants program.
GHPA/Metro Salvage Program
GHPA salvaged building materials
from two buildings the Metropolitan Transit Authority
demolished to make way for its light-rail line. Metro
donated the materials to GHPA. Salvaged materials
include woodwork, medicine cabinets, light fixtures,
doorknobs and hardware, doors, and other items. The
salvaged items will be made available to those undergoing
restoration of historic homes.
Affordable Housing
In 1996, GHPA completed its first
project rehabilitating for affordable housing: two
late-19th century houses located in the Old Sixth
Ward National Register Historic District. After
being rescued from demolition, these houses were conveyed
as a gift to GHPA by the private owner. Funding
for this project was provided by the Texas Historical
Commission, Houston Endowment Inc. and the city of
Houston. |
Historic
Neighborhoods Council [Visit
the HNC Web page]
Houston has many historic
neighborhoods, grand and small, that are incredible assets
to the quality of life in our city. HNC is the voice of
Houston's National Register and City Historic Districts
and other neighborhoods with significant historic resources.
Historic Neighborhoods Council has an effective and proactive
program of work. It promotes the preservation and revitalization
of Houston's historic neighborhoods by facilitating cooperation
and the sharing of information and effort. GHPA believes
that, by working together, these neighborhoods can become
a powerful force for positive change on issues of importance
to neighborhoods throughout the city. HNC meets monthly
at the Montrose Library. Visitors interested in historic
preservation are welcome to attend.
HNC membership benefits include monthly educational meetings
and special seminars. The monthly HNC newsletter highlights
the work of the Historic Neighborhoods Council, GHPA programs
and calendar, and special events within historic neighborhoods.
In addition, members may use HNC's preservation and neighborhood
library, gain assistance with landmark and city historic
district applications, design guidelines, National Register
applications, and local and state programs.
There is strength in numbers and HNC is growing rapidly.
When we go to City Council to gain better public policy
for historic preservation, when we talk to neighborhoods
about obtaining historic designation, or when we work
with a property owner to assist him in saving a building,
HNC's members support GHPA in its mission.
The Historic Neighborhoods Council is supported by a generous
grant from the Favrot Fund.
Current
State of Preservation in Houston
The numerous and varied
development projects occurring in historic buildings in
downtown Houston have spurred an unprecedented interest
in the revitalization of our city's historic beginnings.
This very exciting activity is proving what advocates
of preservation have always known; historic preservation
is often the catalyst for community revitalization and
economic growth. Historic preservation is, indeed, becoming
a vibrant force in Houston.
Greater Houston Preservation Alliance is entering its
second quarter-century of advocacy for historic preservation.
Throughout that time we have diligently conducted our
work and, in recent years, we find ourselves increasingly
called upon to explain the effectiveness and economic
feasibility of historic preservation as a tool for revitalization
of the city. In addition, neighborhoods that are experiencing
pressure from inappropriate development are calling on
GHPA for support in seeking local historic designation
for their neighborhoods to help maintain the historic
character and to retain their property values. To forestall
possible conflict, GHPA provides design guidelines for
the development community.
Historic preservation is not about isolating the past
in a time capsule. It is about managing change; integrating
the old and new in ways that improve the quality of life
in our community; and maintaining our individuality. Greater
Houston Preservation Alliance remains committed to this
vision. From Houston's founding by the Allen Brothers
in 1836, Houstonians have a sense of pride in our unique
history. By preserving our history, we maintain our city's
individuality and attract more visitors in the process.
Heritage tourism continues to be one of the fastest growing
industries in the country. Research suggests that heritage
tourists are better educated, stay longer, and spend more
money.
While interest in historic preservation in Houston is
stronger than it has ever been, there is much work to
do. Greater Houston Preservation Alliance continues to
promote the preservation and appreciation of Houston's
architectural and cultural historic resources through
education, advocacy and committed action, thereby creating
economic value, developing a stronger sense of community,
and improving the quality of life for all Houstonians.
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