A Denton Record-Chronicle Newspaper article this week raised concerns about the future of City Hall West, pictured above and located on Elm Street just North of the Square. According to local historian and former City Council member Mike Cochran, “This wonderful building was built in 1927, and over the years it has housed City Hall, the Police Department, the community theater and now the Planning and other city departments.”
A bit of background – the city has been in discussions for some time now about the needs of our growing municipality and the need for more, and in some cases, consolidated space. It is rather a rare thing, but the city actually has three city halls, all housing city services and departments that are typically contained in one space in other cities: City Hall West (above), City Hall East on East Hickory right across from the DCTA station, and City Hall on E. McKinney Street between the Civic Center and the US Post Office. This question is ongoing and one thing seems clear: City Hall West is not conducive to the needs of a growing Planning department serving a city whose population is set to double in the next decade.
Concurrent with these discussions, a developer approached the city expressing interest in the property as well as the old Main Fire Station adjacent to it. And now it seems there is significant interest from others in this property as well. The city council met in executive session to discuss some of this.
With all this chatter of a possible sale, many citizens, rightfully concerned about the preservation of the city’s historic buildings, are worried this means that City Hall West would be torn down, or at least altered inappropriately.
I want to be clear – no one is interested in seeing Denton City Hall West torn down or altered in a way that takes away its historic significance. Not the city council, the city staff, or anyone expressing interest in the building.
The building already has a local historic landmark designation which provides a significant amount of protection from changes and demolition. Any plans for alterations of the exterior of the building must go through the city’s Historic Landmark Commission and the City Council will have the final say on the matter. Even if the ownership changes, these regulations still apply.
Keep in mind, out of all the city’s registered historic landmarks, the vast majority are owned by private citizens and they are doing just fine – in most cases, flourishing and adding beauty and character to our city.
My main interest is the historic preservation of City Hall West. Whether or not it remains in the hands of the city or the hands of a private entity is a separate question.
Right now that building is the place where someone goes to pull permits and find out information about building code and food establishment regulations. I’m not yet convinced that this is the best use of this remarkable building in such an important spot near the square. If we can explore the possibility of a better use – whether that be a municipal one or a private one – isn’t it worth a discussion?