Our Mission is to promote the preservation and protection of historic structures and sites through advocacy, education, involvement, and public and private investment.
Since its founding in 1977, Historic Tyler has promoted the preservation and appreciation of Tyler’s architectural and cultural historic resources through education, advocacy and committed action. Historic Tyler is dedicated to the preservation, revitalization, and continued use of Tyler’s historic resources. Membership in Historic Tyler helps ensure that historic preservation has a voice in Tyler’s future economic and cultural development. The ability to deliver our precious historic past for generations is in your hands now. Your donations and support of Historic Tyler, Inc. are greatly appreciated. With your help we can lay a cornerstone for tomorrow.
NEWS
The 2020 Preservation Award
We are excited to introduce our 2020 Preservation Award recipients, Faith Harders & Alan Harders. They grew up in Tyler on Dennis Drive (within the boundaries of ongoing Pollard Nomination.) Both Faith and Alan have moved away from Tyler and yet are loyal supporters of Historic Tyler! Not only have they have made a point to attend the Candlelight Party and Historic Tyler on Tour for years, but they also sponsor the tour as well.
Faith lives in an 1835 house in Kentucky and has served several terms on the Board of Blue Grass Trust; she is interested in historic architecture and loves Tyler; therefore, Historic Tyler is of great interest to her. Faith is a librarian, heads the Design Library at the University of Kentucky, where she is engaged on a daily basis with Interior Design, Architecture and Historic Preservation.
Alan has not lived in Tyler since he left for college but has always considered Tyler his real home. He has a love for architecture, history, and Tyler and said Historic Tyler is the perfect blend of all three. In addition to supporting Historic Tyler, Alan is a long-time member of The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic Fort Worth, Inc.
We want to thank Faith and Alan for their continued support of Historic Tyler and our preservation efforts. We recognize that we are only able to continue our preservation efforts because of dedicated members like them! Thank you to the Harders and the rest of our members.
PROJECTS
Historic Documentation of the Riviere House
The architectural firm Mark A. Thacker, AIA ~ Commercial & Preservation Architecture, was selected to perform an investigation and documentation for 1604 N. Bois D’Arc, The Riviere House.
A devastating fire occurred on October 31, 2011, and the building then remained vacant and has been in a progressive state of deterioration since. The City of Tyler building inspection department declared the building condemned and scheduled it for demolition.
The Goodman-LeGrand Museum
Each year, Historic Tyler selects preservation projects that support our mission of preserving local historic sites and structures. We are proud to announce The Goodman-LeGrand as one of our projects for this year.
Dating back to 1859, The Goodman-LeGrand is one of Tyler’s oldest properties and is a wonderful historical treasure. It was the first property in Smith County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been a Texas landmark since 1964. Today, the Goodman-LeGrand operates as a museum and is rich in Tyler’s history. The Goodman-LeGrand needs major exterior repairs and we felt that this was a worthy project. Historic Tyler is the first to donate to this project. We are happy to assist in the preservation of this tangible piece of Tyler’s history.
The Art of Preservation
The Art of Preservation, a coffee table book by Historic Tyler
We are excited to introduce our new project! Historic Tyler is currently in the beginning stages of creating a coffee table book that features various historic homes in Tyler, “The Art of Preservation.” In our research, we have not found any other book that focuses on Tyler’s historic homes.
The coffee table book will serve as a fundraiser for Historic Tyler. Equally important, the book will document Tyler’s historic landscape, making our local history readily available to the community. An integral part of our mission is to promote heritage preservation through education. We have photographed two homes for the book and reached out to all past tour homeowners asking if are interested in participating.
We have book sponsorships available. Please contact the office if you would like more information.
PRECIOUS LEGACY
Tyler’s heritage is disappearing. Landmarks such as the 1909 Smith County Courthouse, the Blackstone Hotel, the Fire Station, and numerous historic residential dwellings no longer exist. All have fallen victim to the wrecking ball or have decayed from neglect. Others are endangered. Why? A lack of funds to undertake proper preservation measures. It is vital that we preserve Tyler’s past for future generations. This legacy will be lost without intervention.
The concerns that Historic Tyler addresses are shared by all Tylerites, not just those who live in older neighborhoods or who own historic properties. Urban revitalization and economic diversification, defense of neighborhood integrity and authenticity of place, preservation of green space and protection of historic resources are among the most critical issues we face. We are making a positive impact on quality of life throughout Tyler.