Historic Downtown Brownwood

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Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Brownwood History & Feels Like Home

BROWNWOOD TEXAS
Tuesday May 30, 2000
Old building spurs new controversy; Brownwood's plans for post office stalled
By Bill Hanna
Fort worth Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Don't ask Brownwood Mayor Bert Massey about the importance of historic
preservation. Given his choice of saving the 50-plus-year-old Montgomery Ward building or tearing it down for a new downtown post office, Massey wouldn't think twice.
"We don't care whether the building is saved or not,” the mayor said. "If they can't make the building part of the post office's plans, the building ought to come down, in our opinion."
But this month, the Postal Service backed off using the site and has begun looking for another downtown location.
That move has set off a war of words in this city of 20,000, about 120 miles
southwest of Fort Worth. Even Gordon Wood, Brownwood's legendary retired high school football coach, ventured into the fray, criticizing two locals who opposed demolition, as well as Larry Oaks, the executive director of the TexasHistorical Commission, for sticking his nose into Brownwood's business.
"It is ludicrous to me to believe that one man, single- handedly could stop the
construction of a beautiful new post office," Wood said in a letter to the editor in
the `Brownwood Bulletin' newspaper.
"... Mr. Oaks is a political appointee who came here from Pennsylvania to head
the [commission]," said the former coach, who led the Brownwood High Lions to seven state titles. "How could he possibly make such a unilateral decision?"
Oaks, who toured the 3- story, glazed terra cotta Montgomery Ward building
Wednesday with Massey, said he has been to Brownwood several times and calls the attacks a misunderstanding.
"Because the post office spent a year going into this scenario of tearing
everything down without mentioning anything to us, we're at a tremendous
disadvantage," Oaks said in an interview from Austin. "That's all people in town
have heard."
Oaks contends that Postal Service officials reneged on a promise in March to
conduct a feasibility study on using the site. Moreover, he said it did not follow
the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, which instructs agencies to "avoid
sites with historic buildings or to plan on their reuse."
McKinney Boyd, a Postal Service spokesman, disputes Oaks' assertions.
The Postal Service followed the law, informed the historical commission about the site early in the project and has conducted a feasibility study, Boyd said.
Because of some local opposition to converting the site, the Postal Service is
looking at other downtown sites, which could take 90 to 120 days, Boyd said.
Oaks called the Montgomery Ward structure "one of the finer buildings
in Brownwood" and said it is eligible for the National Register because it is
more than 50 years old, has a nice architectural design and contributes to the streetscape.
It has "exceptional decorative treatment" on the front, including elaborate
cornices, fruit-and-flower-filled urns on the roofline and a third-floor depiction of
a goddess holding a laurel wreath.
"The pattern was used around the country," Oaks said, adding, "There are not a
lot of them left."
Steve Harris, who co-owns a restaurant across the street from the old building,
has been castigated by local leaders for espousing historic preservation. Harris
said he filed a police report after receiving what he perceived as a threat. And
some angry residents have promised to boycott his eatery, Steve's Market and
Deli, he said.
"I think the attitude of city leaders is: `Do not say anything. If you do, we will boycott you and we will run you out of town,' " said Harris, 39.
"But I think the majority of the community is willing to look at other locations to
save the building. We just don't have the leadership that has the mentality to
preserve things."
Groner Pitts, a retired undertaker famous for his pranks and known as "Mr.
Brownwood" because of his civic involvement, asserted that "99.9 percent" of
residents would like to see the Montgomery Ward building torn down.
"How silly can those Historical Commission folks get?" asked Pitts, 75. "They're just wasting the taxpayers' money. We're going to get it torn down. It may take a little longer, but we will."
Regardless of what happens on the post office issue, Oaks said Brownwood
has a tremendous opportunity to save its historic downtown structures.
"What comes to mind is downtown Galveston, Oaks said. "I would venture to say there are 80 to 85 buildings from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
We certainly don't want to be spoilers; these buildings are ripe for a rebirth."
Massey said Brownwood doesn't have anyone like Fort Worth's wealthy Bass
brothers or an economic base like some other cities to rehabilitate all of its old
buildings.
"The Montgomery Ward's building has an interesting facade, a lot of pine floors
and pressed-tin ceilings," Massey said. "It could be preserved; it would be nice,
but there's not a whole lot of demand for it in Brownwood, Texas."
The mayor said he doesn't oppose historic preservation in principle.
"We're not going to turn Brownwood into Granbury," Massey said. "We're not going to turn Brownwood into Fredericksburg. We're going to do what's appropriate for here."
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AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Day Trips
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD

July 7, 2000: The old Montgomery Wards building in Brownwood is
about as unlikely a center of controversy as any building could be. Not particularly
attractive or historically significant, it symbolizes the consequences of unchecked
urban renewal that is changing the look and feel of small towns around the state.
At issue is the U.S. Postal Service's consideration of expanding their offices across
the street into the block that includes the building and several other remnants of a
once-thriving business district. "Nobody ever drove a hundred miles to see a new
post office," says Steve Harris, a local restaurateur and champion for the
50-plus-year-old building.

Unfortunately, it has been a number of years since anyone drove very far to visit
downtown Brownwood. Encompassing an area about five blocks wide and 10
blocks long, what was once the central business district is now filled with empty
buildings that greatly outnumber the ones that attract clientele. Most of the
businesses have moved to the strip malls along Highway 67.

It wasn't always so.

Brownwood has seen its share of booms since it was founded in 1858 as the county
seat. The town became the largest cotton-buying center west of Fort Worth in 1920.
During the oil boom of the 1920s it was an industrial center. The population swelled
to more than 50,000 during World War II. By 1950, the population had dropped to
20,000. Current estimates put the number of citizens around 17,000 and declining.

With a collection of architecture that spans more than 140 years, the city could
capitalize on this wealth instead of letting it be destroyed. Towering above the
eclectic collection of buildings is the once-grand Brownwood Hotel, an
early-20th-century luxury hotel that now stands vacant.

The owner of the old hotel, Virginia businessman and former Brownwood resident
Mitchell Phelps, was recently fined more than $13,000 after the 11-story building
was cited for numerous safety violations. Phelps is also the owner of 60% of the
block that includes the Montgomery Wards building.

A war of words began to heat up when the State Historical Commission's executive
director, Larry Oaks, came to town and took the position that the building should be
saved. This angered the mayor, half the citizens, and even Gordon Wood,
Brownwood's legendary high school football coach who wrote an angry letter to the
Brownwood Bulletin newspaper about outsiders sticking their noses in the town's
business.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Oaks called the building "one of the
finer buildings in Brownwood." The three-story structure has a faux block exterior
capped by an ornate roof line with decorative urns filled with cement flowers and
fruit. Still structurally sound, inside the floors are thick pine with pressed tin
ceilings. Probably the most impressive part of the building is a depiction of a
goddess holding a torch and standing on top of a globe on the front façade. "The
pattern was used around the country," Oaks told the Star-Telegram. "There are not
a lot of them left."

Harris, whose restaurant is around the corner from the buildings on Center Street,
worries that the destruction will continue. "We've already lost 20 buildings in the
downtown area," he says, "Where will it stop?" For his troubles, Harris has
received a death threat and a boycott of his business. He says he's lost a few
customers and gained a few new ones because of the controversy.

Celinda Emison, who has covered the story for the Bulletin, says the town is split
about 50-50 on saving the old store fronts. "The amazing thing is that it seems to be
the young people and the newer residents who are in favor of saving the buildings,"
she says.

"We're not going to turn Brownwood into another Fredericksburg," the mayor, Burt
Massey, was quoted as saying. This is the same man who, after more than 20 years
on the council, concluded a letter to Harris saying, "For many years the council and
I have wanted to look at the future of our city, but have been unable to find the time
to do so."

In the meantime, the Postal Service has backed away from the Montgomery Wards
building because of the controversy. Not surprisingly, they're not divulging what
other sites they're considering.

"It's all small-town politics," Harris says with an exasperated sigh. While the
decision on the location for the new post office should be made locally, the rest of us
can let the town know what we consider to be acceptable behavior. Once historic
neighborhoods are demolished, they're lost forever and all Texans are the poorer for
the loss.

Steve's Market and Deli is at 110 E. Chandler off of Center Avenue in a red brick
building that once housed a family grocery store. Texas Monthly recognized the
cafe as one of the best small-town eateries in the state in the March 1999 issue.
They serve a nice mix of salads and sandwiches Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-3pm.
A special dinner is served Friday 7pm-9pm by reservation, 915/646-5576.

While it is not a Fredericksburg, Brownwood does have a few interesting sites. The
Brown County Museum across the street from the county courthouse opens on
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in the old castlelike jail and has a neat
collection of historical items.

The town is also home of Howard Payne University and the Douglas MacArthur
Academy of Freedom at Austin Avenue and Coggin Street, with its unique collection
of MacArthur personal souvenirs and historical items. To enjoy the outdoors, visit
Lake Brownwood State Park northwest of town. For area information, stop by the
chamber of commerce in the beautifully renovated railroad depot at 600 Depot St.,
915/646-9535 or www.brownwoodchamber.org.