The Fort Worth school board in May voted to close 18-elementary and middle schools over five years because of high maintenance costs and declining enrollment.
But what becomes of the buildings after they鈥檙e closed?
Jerre Tracy, executive director of , a nonprofit focused on preservation, believes the closed schools can have a future.
She told 四虎影院's Sam Baker pursuing landmark status for them might make it happen.
Jerre Tracy: These are rare, rare buildings. We noted that four of them are landmarked already, historical and cultural.
There's DeZavala (elementary), Charles Nash (elementary), Kirkpatrick Middle School, Morningside Middle School.
So four of these schools are already landmarked by the city's landmark commission, which is a very good thing.
Baker: Landmarking the building would do what?
It would put economic incentives in it for a developer that uses the building, but he or she would have to use that building and respect its architecture. And it would go through a review process either at the city or the THC, the Texas Historical Commission.
There are more and more developers who are really understanding the value of historic preservation as a developer.
For instance, there is an economic incentive that comes with the city of Fort Worth. It's a property valuation freeze on the city's portion of your property tax.
But the Texas Historical Commission has really changed the game for developers because you can landmark a building recorded Texas historic landmark. And you can qualify for a 25% restoration tax credit on a project that has been approved by the THC staff.
Well, let me ask you about another school that is marked for closure and I think is going to be one of the first ones that will close. That is Dillow Elementary. What can you do with that building?
Well, creative architects and developers could absolutely turn that into affordable housing or regular housing.
One person called me, what about for single mothers and their children? We're talking about classrooms that adapt pretty well to bedrooms.
There are all kinds of possibilities. I mean, certainly community centers are an easy thing to say. You've got playgrounds, you've got rooms on the interior of each building.
The sky's the limit. I mean bring in the architects who know how to repurpose buildings. And I think we all win when we don't let go of what has served our families in Fort Worth well.
Are all the buildings on the list of those being closed worthy of that landmark designation?
I don't know. We have a public affairs committee here and we really haven't figured out a way to go and say we want to see all your buildings, but we would want to do it with the American Institute of Architects. They they make nice partners in projects with historic buildings if you can make that happen.
So that would be a wonderful outcome, if a group of qualified architects and maybe some developers who already have done excellent work in historic buildings and adapted them to new uses could go through these buildings. Wouldn't that be great?
So the decision to close does not have to be the last word on these buildings?
That's what we think, and we really hope that plays out.
You know, preservation leads over into so many other agendas like it's a visual art form. I mean, many of those buildings are really lovely.
We do an event called "Preservation is the Art of the City." Once you figure out that that's a true statement, you don't wanna destroy the artworks that are already built.
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