We’re raising funds to help restore a home in the Tenth Street Historic District, preserving a piece of history and establishing it as a Neighborhood Resource Center to support residents in restoring their historic homes and achieving their vision for their community.
Dallas's Tenth Street District has a rich history as a historic Freedmen's Town—a community built by former slaves freed during or after the Civil War. Today, many of the neighborhood’s historic homes are in a state of severe decay, needing urgent repair if the physical historic character of the neighborhood is to endure. Over the past few years, the neighborhood has witnessed the demolition of many of its historic homes, and even historically significant buildings like the Sunshine Elizabeth Chapel C.M.E. Church, which dated back to 1889.
In 2012, [bc] purchased a historic home, which was in desperate need of repair, at 1208 E. 10th St, protecting the structure from risk of destruction. Our goal is to renovate the structure for community use, so that it may serve as a Neighborhood Resource Center. The Center will host informational workshops to build local capacity, arts and cultural events to celebrate neighborhood heritage, and provide a physical location for residents to receive technical assistance from [bc] staff in issues related to design, architecture, and planning.
This first phase of work was supported by generous grants from five funding partners. Through the generosity of our supporters, we were able to complete all architectural design work and construction documents, secure construction permits and a Certificate of Appropriateness, and finish all necessary demolition work on the interior of the structure. All the while, we have been working to build capacity among neighborhood residents through educational workshops, technical assistance, and fundraising for community projects.
However, during demolition, it was made clear that the building needed to be completely reframed, necessitating additional costs and significant revisions in the project plan. The next phase of this project will address framing and weatherproofing. Following framing and weatherproofing, we will begin work on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, and then finish the interior.
Funds raised through this campaign will help [bc] attain the next milestone in this project, which will provide for immediate needs: to stabilize the framing and protect the structure from the elements. This will set the stage for its eventual use as a Neighborhood Resource Center to support the community in revitalization efforts, celebrating its history and planning for the future.
The process of permitting for renovations in a Historic District, which carries a host of restrictions and requirements, is complex to navigate—especially so for the average person without any experience in renovation! By establishing this Center, we hope to be able to build resident capacity to undertake future renovation and restoration work in the community by teaching neighbors about this process. This will help to ensure its historic structures can be preserved and its unique cultural character endures.
We need your help to complete the next stage of renovation and turn this historic relic into a vibrant resource center for the community!
Here’s just a few examples of what your support can do:
-$3 buys a one-pound pack of roofing nails (18 packs needed)
-$15 buys one panel of siding that fits the historic neighborhood character (42 needed)
-$40 buys one historically-appropriate replacement door (2 needed)
-$55 buys one period-style shingle square (12 needed)
-$100 buys 5 gallons of paint in (37 gallons of paint needed)
-$145 buys one kitchen sink
-$250 buys supplies for one concrete pier (4 needed)
-$300 buys one salvaged wood window (2 needed)
