| |
Buildings
inside BuildingsIt
happened more often than you would think.
by John Troesser |
Number
One:
Little Church in the Warehouse, Fort
WorthJust off
the northern perimeter of Sundance Square in downtown Fort
Worth is a tidy stabilized ruin of what is though to be the oldest brick structure
in Fort Worth. Built in 1887,
this was The First Methodist Church which was also known as the Fourth Street
Church. It replaced a 1874 wooden structure that had formerly occupied the same
site. |
| The
1887 First Methodist Church (or the Fourth Street Church)
as it appears today
TE Photo February 2004 |
| Another
view of the church
TE Photo February 2004 |
When
commercial interests bought the site, they built a warehouse around the walls
of the old church, figuring that it was easier than demolishing the building.
They may also have had qualms about demolishing a church, but whatever the reason,
it certainly surprised the contractor who was removing the warehouse in 1998.
It was brought to the attention of preservationists and today it provides more
charm to what is already Texas' best downtown.
Fort
Worth Hotels > Book Your Hotel Here &
Save |
Number
Two:
The Siddon-Barnes Log Cabin, Chico,
Texas (Wise County)This
is a case of practicality. This tiny (256 square foot) cabin is believed to have
been built in the 1870s serving as both schoolhouse and church before being bought
by a Doctor Siddon in 1883. Siddon and his wife enclosed the cabin by building
other rooms around it and when it was sold in 1918 it became the property of a
family named Barnes. |
 | The
Siddon-Barnes Log Cabin, once the schoolhouse and church
TE Photo
February 2004 |
| Rear
view of the cabin.
TE Photo February 2004 |
| In
the 1970s when the added rooms were being demolished, the cabin nucleus was found
and saved. It was moved while the lot was cleared and then moved back to this
site in 1987. |
Number Three:
History in the Hotel Lobby, Austin, TexasNo
photos currently available
The third entry is a study in creative compromise.
The smaller building is the former home of Susannah
Dickinson, the widow of an Alamo
defending officer. Mrs. Dickenson was spared to take news of the Alamo's
fall to the people of Gonzales.
She remarried several times and this house was her final residence.
When
a hotel chain wanted the property for development, they worked out a compromise
where the house would be well cared for.
The plan calls for the house
to be placed on the ground floor of the hotel where it will remain in a controlled
climate - something Susannah
Dickinson could never have imagined in her wildest dreams. This plan will
allow public viewing and provide an up-close look at Texas
history for guests of the hotel.
Austin
Hotels > Book Your Hotel Here & Save
©
John Troesser
April 21, 2004 | |
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