(February 9, 2008)--Town dance halls top a preservation group's new list of the most endangered historic places in Texas.
Advocates warn that the Texas dance hall tradition could be wiped out if there's no revival for the buildings.
Many still have wooden floors and walls or dilapidated wiring and plumbing.
The nonprofit group Preservation Texas produces the annual list of the state’s Most Endangered Places.
Members raise money and awareness for saving historic buildings.
Click Here For Texas Dance Hall Preservation, Inc. Web Site
Most Endangered Sites
(Source: Preservation Texas)
Dance halls: Once the center of entertainment in towns across Texas, many dance halls are in dire need of repair. An estimated 1,200 were in use in the early 20th century and many had roots in immigrant culture and music.
James Lee Dickey House, Taylor: Dickey was a doctor dedicated to civil rights and health care for black people. He created a vaccination program to fight a typhoid fever outbreak in 1933 and a
prenatal care clinic.
Barker-Huebinger Rock House, Wilson County; Built in 1871 of red sandstone, the four-room main building had an enclosed dogtrot and three fireplaces.
Statler Hilton Hotel, Dallas: Built in 1956 for $16 million, it had 19 stories and 1,000 guest rooms. It is currently vacant and sits next to a city park.
Livestone Lodge #152, Grand Prairie: Built in 1903, it was a community building for a row of homesteads owned by freed slaves known as "The Line." It was also used as a school and church.
Texas & Pacific Warehouse, Fort Worth: Built in 1931, it included the Texas Pacific Railway Terminal and a post office.
Booker T. Washington School, Wellington. A two-room structure believed to be the first brick school for blacks in West Texas.
First Christian Church, Santa Anna: Built in 1901, it is the oldest church building in Santa Anna and it is still used on Sundays for Bible study.
The Port of El Copano, near Bayside: Established in 1722 by Spain to serve the area missions and military garrisons.
The Hendley Building, Galveston: the city's oldest remaining commercial building. Built in 1860, it served as a Confederate watchtower in the Civil War.
The Caples Building, El Paso: Built in 1909, it was the first reinforced concrete structure in El Paso and was used as a headquarters for provision government of Mexico by Francisco
Madero.
Citizens Savings Bank, Jefferson: Built in 1871 during the town's commercial boom.
Mallet Ranch Headquarters Court, Sundown: Built between 1895 and 1948, it still has five of the original structures located in the center of the Slaughter Oil Field.
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