Preservation Dallas Protects Dallas History

Time that has passed can never be reclaimed, but the surviving historic buildings and neighborhoods from days gone by can provide a glimpse into the past to remind the community’s residents of who they are and where they came from. One local non-profit group has dedicated itself to keeping open that window to the past.

Preservation Dallas, recently featured in The Dallas Express as one of the city’s most influential organizations, has taken on the mission to preserve and revitalize the historic buildings of Dallas.

The volunteer-run organization began in 1972 as the Historic Preservation League. A group of Dallas residents led by Virginia McAlester joined forces to save the Swiss Avenue neighborhood and push for programs to preserve the city’s history.

In its first year of operation, the group played a vital role in the City’s passage of the Dallas Preservation Ordinance, which guides the City’s efforts to preserve the physical history of Dallas.

Members officially changed the organization’s name to Preservation Dallas in the early 1990s.

The group describes itself as “a non-profit membership organization dedicated to championing initiatives that value the history and culture of places throughout the community, enhancing the quality of life and economic development of our great city.”

Preservation Dallas’ main initiatives, according to its website, include brokering solutions for endangered historic properties, documenting the history of landmark buildings through surveys and research, educating the public about these properties, and partnering with neighborhoods and local and national organizations to raise funds for these initiatives. 

“Dallas is a place that often thinks of itself as not having much history, and a place that tears down what history it has. That’s not how we see it, however. Dallas and the surrounding community has a rich history, with many historic buildings, neighborhoods, and places remaining to link us to that history,” Norm Alston, president of Preservation Dallas, wrote in an email. 

While the organization owns no historic buildings, its focus is to help other entities maintain and protect them. 

The organization claims that one of the most notable transformations it played a part in was Swiss Avenue in East Dallas. Preservation Dallas now leases its office space in a restored building in the neighborhood. 

Another site that the organization has worked to preserve is the Forest Theater in South Dallas. The nonprofit entity that currently owns the old theater announced last week that it had surpassed the halfway point in raising funds to restore the building, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

Alston told The Dallas Express that the preservation of this theater was “critical,” adding, “It’s a great example of how a historic building can serve as the rallying point for so many good things for so many.”

Preservation Dallas has partnered with other entities to preserve historical sites such as the Rosenfield House, the Joppa neighborhood, and the Wilson Historic District. Alston said that the organization’s most “enduring” relationship has been with the Meadows Foundation. 

“We have worked with the incredibly generous team at Meadows for decades to preserve the history of Dallas. For example, the buildings in the Wilson Historic District were saved from the wrecking ball and meticulously restored by the Meadows Foundation,” said Alston.

He said Preservation Dallas and its founders were involved with that specific project from the beginning. 

The organization’s education programs are fundamental to its preservation goals. “You can’t protect or even appreciate something you don’t know exists,” said Alston. This mindset guides the educational initiatives of Preservation Dallas.

“I would have to say that the biggest success has been our ability to engage the community and get an ever-increasing buy-in about the value of historic preservation,” said Alston.

“Every time we encounter a problem now, we’re almost always surprised at how we get support from places and people that we had no idea would care about our mission,” he continued.

The Dallas Express reached out to Preservation Dallas Interim Executive Director Will Stovall for additional comment. Stovall redirected the inquiry to Alston as the group’s primary spokesperson.

The organization has a number of upcoming events on its schedule, including: 

• Preservation Achievement Awards, May 17,
• In-town Outing at Old Municipal Building, May 24.