ALPINE — Efforts to place a section of downtown Alpine on the National Register of Historic Places are slowly progressing, with council members and the public recently reviewing a rough map of district boundaries.
City council members voted in August to approve the expenditure of $39,000 in hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funds for a professional historic district survey by company Post Oak Preservation Solutions. The establishment of the district is being seen by city leaders and the local historic association as one of the ways to revitalize downtown Alpine in the wake of the Holland Avenue fire in May.
If approved by the Texas Historical Commission and National Parks Service, some building owners within the boundaries of the district will have the ability to apply for tax credits to help subsidize the cost of restoration projects. But for the most part the designation is honorific and does not encumber property owners with additional requirements.
“It’s really just a tool that can be used to promote the history of Alpine, and then you get the financial benefits too,” said Ellis Mumford-Russell, a founding partner of Post Oak heading up the Alpine designation. “But I think there’s so obviously a historic district here that getting it designated is a positive step for telling that story in one place that’s publicly accessible and free.”
Mumford-Russell discussed project updates at a city council meeting and public Q-and-A last week. In an interview with The Sentinel Mumford-Russell explained that the current boundaries — which essentially extend out a few blocks in every direction from the downtown center of 5th and Holland — are still very much in flux, acting as more of a study area.
She said the downtown historic district is meant to recognize “commercial and institutional” rather than residential buildings. “What we’re looking for is the highest concentration of the buildings and to let that drive the boundary,” Mumford-Russell said. “We don’t want to have too many non-contributing or non-historic buildings within that boundary.”
Mumford-Russell has been busy researching the history of the town — which was founded in 1882 and previously called “Murphyville” — assessing old 20th century maps and oral histories. The Archives of the Big Bend has been an invaluable resource, she said, as has public input. She’s also glimpsed into buildings’ past lives by looking for clues while walking and driving around town, she said.
“I recently saw a building that’s used as a house now; there was a very faint ghost sign on the side that says, ‘Grocery.’ Oh, okay, yes, this needs to be included in the district,” Mumford-Russell said.
Portions of the south side of Alpine are currently included in the district’s boundaries. But Mumford-Russell said because of the area’s history as a systematically marginalized community there is less documentation to go off of. There is also a higher concentration of residential and commercial mixed-use structures on the south side, she said. “It’s just taking a little bit more intentional digging on our part to figure out what the story is here on the south side, Murphy Street’s pretty clear, but going south of here and picking it out is difficult,” she said.
She said Post Oak strives to be “complete” in their research, telling the stories of a variety of residents. One of the structures Mumford-Russell extended the boundary southward to include is the old Watts store, located on 7th and Avenue F, which tells the story of an African American man who settled in Alpine and opened up a small business, she said.
The official survey, where the Post Oak team will walk the proposed district’s expanse, photographing every building and determining whether it’s contributing or non-contributing, as well as pass out fliers in English and Spanish to curious residents, will take place in January. From there, they will edit the boundaries and submit a rough draft of the district to the Texas Historical Commission.
Kokernot Field, home of the Alpine Cowboys, is also being surveyed separately and submitted for consideration on the National Register of Historic Places. Mumford-Russell said the ballfield was designed by architects Phelps Simmons and DeWees, who also conceived of San Antonio’s Alamo Stadium.
At the public Q-and-A held last Thursday at The Ritchey, Alpine Historical Society Director Abbey Branch said the designation will be beneficial for the town because it will increase heritage tourism and draw in developers interested in taking advantage of the tax credits. Mumford-Russell said due to federal tax credit requirements that owners keep a building for five years after successful restoration, the designation will also bring in longer-term investment.
While private home owners potentially located within the boundary will not be able to take advantage of the tax credits — unless they are income generating, meaning they operate a short- or long-term rental — it is possible that the downtown historic district designation could pave the way for further residential historic districts that could take advantage of that opportunity in the future.
Individuals with information, including old photos, plans or stories about the origins of buildings in Alpine are encouraged to email materials to alpine@postoakpreservation.com.