Published: June 18, 2009 08:08 pm      

Palestine’s historic properties are a bargain

Preservation Matters column

We have written about the value in Palestine's historic properties before, but the May 25, 2009 issue of The Week featured Victorian era houses similar to those in Palestine that are for sale in various parts of the country. The weekly article features houses that are for sale around the country and always has a “Steal of the Week” feature. The issue's Steal of the Week is a five bedroom, 2-1/2 story 1890 Queen Anne in Stamford, NY near the Catskill Mountains for $289,900, which would be a good buy, particularly in New York.

The article also featured a one story 1890 Queen Anne with a basement in Boise, ID for $775,000, an 1875 six bedroom Eastlake style house in Fanwood, NJ for only $799,000, an 1840 Second Empire in Newman, GA for only $1,399,000, a two story 1850 Gothic Revival house in Northampton, MA for a mere $1,500,000, and last but not least, an 1895 Eastlake Town Home in the Alamo Square neighborhood of San Francisco, CA for a mere $2,750,000. The interesting thing is that those houses are no nicer than those that we have in Palestine, but admittedly they are located in or near large metropolitan cities or near the mountains and will, therefore, bring a higher price than Palestine's.

But when you consider the proximity of Palestine to Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, or Shreveport, Palestine's historic houses are indeed a “steal” because Palestine is a really neat place to live and to visit. We may think that Palestine is getting more crowded and it surely seems to have more traffic. But, Palestine actually has a very peaceful, laid back lifestyle that cannot be found in other similar sized towns, much less a larger city. Palestine is within one to three hours of virtually anything that anyone would ever need or want. When compared to other smaller towns in East Texas, Palestine has the authentic atmosphere of Texas towns of 100 or more years ago and that is something that many people are looking for. People also seem to be willing to pay bargain prices for Palestine's homes and buildings.

The Ribbon Cutting for Amore Italian Restaurant was held on June 16 at the Historic Redlands Building. Amore Italian Restaurant offers a full menu with daily lunch specials and take-out service. The food and service is excellent and we highly recommend this Palestine Main Street restaurant.

Main Street and the Anderson County Arts Council are producing an old fashioned 4th of July Children's Parade. The “Good Old-Fashioned Flag-Waving Children's Fourth of July Parade and Chalk Art Contest” will be held July 4. The parade starts at the Carnegie Building on Queen Street at Crawford Street and ends at North Sycamore Street in Palestine. Then, the celebration will continue in the park at Saw Mill Hollow in Old Town Palestine. Free Hot Dogs and Popsicles will be served and Tropo the Clown will be making balloon animals. You will also be able to hear Cowboy Dan and watch the Chester Mouse Puppet Show. Be sure that the kids wear their decorated flip-flops in the Parade and they may be able to win a prize. There will be all kinds of kids' fun, so you can pick up Rules and Parade Applications at O'Sweet Pea on Crawford Street in Old Town Palestine and at the Palestine Public Library. The event is sponsored by Wal-Mart, Mary Alice Largent Century 21 Pace McDonald Inc., Penny Marie Anderson Hairaphy, and O'Sweet Pea in Old Town. For further information, please call 903-391-3580.

Palestine is updating its Historic Resources Survey. The 1993 Historic Resources Survey was updated in 2000 and again in 2005, which resulted in the designation of the Old Town National Register Historic District. A team of folks will begin surveying Palestine on June 29th. They will be photographing and documenting all structures built prior to 1971. Palestine's Historic Preservation Ordinance has a 40 year criteria for designation as a Palestine Landmark or a Palestine Historic District while the criteria is 50 years for a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark or Listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Please remember to attend our free Historic Preservation Workshops. We invite everyone interested in old and historic houses and buildings to attend the monthly lecture series, “Your Old House…or Building”. The lecture series is held at 5:30 PM at the Palestine Public Library on the fourth Thursday of each month. June's session entitled “What About Historic interior Design?” was held on Thursday, June 18th. The July 24th session is entitled “Are Historic Construction Methods and Materials Different Than Today's?”

The Palestine Main Street/Historic Preservation Office has the resources and the information that are needed to make informed decisions about older and historic structures. More often than not, the information can help you to save money on your project. By contacting the Historic Preservation Office first, we can show you easier and more cost effective ways to solve the challenges that come when rehabilitating an old house. Unfortunately, many people don't contact us and end up spending hundreds of dollars more than necessary. We are here to assist you with your project and we welcome your questions and concerns. Please contact Main Street Manager and Historic Preservation Officer Neely Plumb at 903-731-8442, 903-724-3052, or via e-mail at nplumb@palestine-tx.org.

Be sure to ask us for a copy of the Design Guidelines Handbook that will answer most of your questions, including information on city property tax incentives, whether a property is located in a Palestine Historic District, and do's and don'ts. We can also help you determine if a structure is a designated Palestine Landmark or if it is eligible to be designated as a Palestine Landmark, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, or it is either Listed or Eligible for Listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Neely Plumb is the City of Palestine's Main Street Manager.