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The soulful character of Denton is due, in large part, to our historic heritage – the preservation of which did not come easily. Had it not been for the struggle of forward thinking preservationists, a plan to tear down the Courthouse on the Square to make room for more parking, proposed by local businessmen and the local newspaper editorial board, would have commenced. Had it not been for folks who could see beyond the housing fads of their day, the magnificent mansions of Oak Street would now be lame, 80s-style student apartments.
In order to demonstrate the value historic preservation brings to our city and to create a mechanism by which to preserve and protect our most vulnerable historic assets, citizens in 1980 pushed for the creation of the city’s Historic Landmark Commission and the city’s first historic district, Oak-Hickory Historic District. Part of the ordinance called for a Preservation Plan by which to guide preservation policy in the years to come. The result was this marvelous, visionary document compiled by Bullitt Lowry in 1985. The plan calls out areas of town and specific buildings worthy of preservation, traces the architectural history of our community, and provides a series of progressive recommendations to move our city forward with an eye to valuing and preserving our past.
As a result, the city now boasts of two Historic Districts (Oak-Hickory and West Oak) and the Bell Avenue Conservation District. We also have a number of locally designated homes and buildings in and out of these districts.
Because it has been 30 years since Denton’s first Preservation Plan was written, because there is renewed interest from newer generations on the importance of Denton’s history, because there remain a number of important structures, neighborhoods, and business districts that are at risk of being lost forever, and because there’s still so much more to do, the City Council has called for an update to our Preservation Plan. The council formed a Council Committee for Historic Preservation to, in conjunction with the Historic Landmark Commission, lead a community conversation with an eye toward updating our Plan and ordinance.
This is a fascinating community conversation that needs to happen. If you read the paper this weekend about an antique shop leaving the square, you saw a great representation of competing values on the look, feel, and culture of our city. Let’s bring these various ideas and values to the table and work through them for the betterment of our community.
We need your help. Tonight, Thursday, Feb 19, we’ll host the first of such community conversations to get your feedback on how to preserve our historic heritage into the 21st century. Join us at 5:30pm at UNT on the Square for wine and beer, refreshments, and conversation about historic preservation in Denton. A special thanks to UNT on the Square for hosting and Armadillo Ale Works for donating beer for the occasion!
