Preserving Arlington: Past Visions, Future Realities; A Preservation Plan for the City of Arlington

Arlington Landmark Preservation Commission

From introduction: "For decades, a few dozen dedicated preservationists have kept Arlington’s history alive, fought for preservation of its historic resources, and served the city’s historical agencies and organizations. They have grieved, without much notice, at the loss of some of the city’s most historic structures and the lack of interest throughout the community in historic preservation. To their dismay, “Arlington has no history” has been an oft repeated comment. But they have persevered, and in the years since 2000, the convergence of several circumstances and events has indicated a change of heart and a distinct and growing preservation momentum in the city: City Council approval of funding and completion of a detailed historic resources survey that inventories the city’s built environment to 1960; interest in preserving the Dixon Purvis House (100 S. Cooper Street) and at least part of the Eastern Star Home (1111 E. Division Street); the Arlington Historical Society’s exhaustive work in establishing Knapp Heritage Park (201 W. Front Street); the long-awaited restoration of the Thannisch-Vandergriff building; passage of a Conservation District Overlay provision in the zoning ordinance; establishment of two National Register historic districts; establishment of a local landmark marker program; Arlington Tomorrow Fund allocation for historic preservation projects; council and staff support for neighborhood planning and improvement; celebration of the city’s 130th birthday with the placement of a City of Arlington state historical commission marker at the Municipal Building; depiction of the city’s history and culture on eight oversized murals on IH 30 walls. So this seems the appropriate moment for the city to undertake the next steps to fully integrate historic preservation planning into its other planning processes, in particular, adopting a preservation plan and establishing a historic preservation office in the City. In fact, the Landmark Preservation Commission has been working on just such a plan since 2003, about the time planning for the Historic Resources Survey was getting underway. The completion of the Survey in 2007 provided the final data and recommendations needed for completion of the plan. The Survey includes an extensive review of mid-century development patterns and historic resources in Arlington and is one of few such extensive projects in the country covering this era. Where historic preservation in Arlington has lagged behind that of many neighboring cities, the Survey could be the impetus for the city to become a leader in mid-century historic preservation.... The principle purposes of this plan are threefold: to record past and current preservation activities, define the city’s preservation needs, and provide a framework for carrying out established goals and priorities in a logical, efficient, and effective manner. Another purpose is to make preservation decision-making a normal function or element of land use decisions rather than an exceptional one, thus making historic preservation proactive rather than reactive. The final purpose of the plan is to assist citizens and staff in securing necessary resources to implement the plan’s recommendations. Funding was provided in part by a 2008 Historic Preservation Fund grant for historic preservation training to the City of Arlington (project number TX-08-023) administered by the Texas State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 48-08-21748) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Arlington, Texas is a Certified Local Government.

Preserving Arlington: Past Visions, Future Realities; A Preservation Plan for the City of Arlington

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