Preservation City Blog
Elks Arts Center
Swenson House
Historic Real Estate For Sale
Calendar 
Volunteer Opportunities
Collectible Replicas
Lincoln Middle School

Legacy Gifts of Preservation
Top 10 Preservation Opps
Related Sites

Preservation is a Gift
from one generation
to the next

Latest News
about historic preservation nationwide

Board Calendar

Reserve Now!
Our 5th Annual Heritage Stewardship Awards will be featuring and honoring Ablene's own treasure, Roy Helen Ackers. Attend on Thursday and enjoy the presentation of the Beautiful House Award. This year's luncheon will be at the Hunter Welcome Center at Abilene Christian University. Sponsorships and table reservations are now available on our Events page, or email us for more information.

Membeship in the Abilene Preservation League
It pays dividends!
As a non-profit organization, membership is very important to the Abilene Preservation League. We don't always stress it enough, but our members are the core of our support. In the case of saving a building or home, in the case of advocacy for an issue involving preservation policy affecting the city of Abilene, or in the case of providing advice to a homeowner about the best way to care for their historic home, it is our membership that sustains us from year to year.

The best deal for our members is to take advantage of the two-for-one offer: If you become a member online, you'll receive a free one year membership in the National Trust for Historic Preservation. You'll receive six issues of their great magazine, Preservation. Those who have these dual memberships report that they feel more connected to the national preservation movement. To learn more about membership in the Abilene Preservation League, click here.

Shots from the In-town bike ride touring Historic Abilene

The kids are getting ready! Bike Patrol Officer Mike and Officer Alphabet get ready to escort the bike tourists around the greater downtown area.	Stopping at the J.D. Magee home (Rosetyme) for a top to bottom tour. The tour was part of Big Day Downtown, April 9th.

New: visit our Lincoln - AHS timeline

On our Facebook page there are photos of our most recent visit to Lincoln. Also a gallery here, so you'll know what behind the doors if you didn't go to school there. There is now an informative Save Lincoln Facebook page and @saveLincoln ( Twitter). Sign up for both!

We've put together a list of the leading new uses for the campus as a conversation starter. It is available here. After reading it, we'd like to have your opinion, please email us.

DVD series wins national award

Heritage Stewarship Awards
Thank you to everyone who attended and especially our sponsors for the fourth annual Heritage Stewardship Awards Luncheon on June 2nd. We had nearly 160 in attendance. A fitting tribute for the Kay and Richard Dillard family, who saved the Henry Sayles home at South 7th and Sayles, and a great keynote address by Terry M. Colley, Deputy Director of the Texas Historical Commission. Our sponsors:

Tomorrow's economics of Preservation
Noted economist Donovan D. Rypkema has written a thought provoking piece for the National Trust's Forum. He identifies twenty trends, from more of an emphasis on neighborhood schools to the misuse of historic overlay zoning, that will impact the future of communities, neighborhoods and real estate development. To view, click here.

Nominate your favorite Beautiful Houses for 2012
You can nominate a home to be one of the Beautiful House finalists. Just request a form by emailing us at this address, and take a digital photo. They'll be recognized next May at our Heritage Stewardship Awards.

Storefront Histories Project kicked off Before After 1920 view The front of the Hall Music-Optical Clinic building at 258 Pine St. has a new look from APL, the Abilene Downtown Association and Browning Eyssen & Logan, P.C. A photo mural was placed in the front window showing the interior of Hall Music Company in 1920, deteriorated plywood was covered and painted and informational graphics were placed in the window panels. We've just posted photos of the interior tour... click here to see them in your browser. If you have a building and would like to participate in the next Storefront Histories project, we'd like to hear from you, please email us

Take a Tour of Rosetyme, the J.D. Magee home
On February 6 of last year this home at 1910 North 3rd suffered a catastrophic fire. The Preservation League has acquired the home and is starting the process of stabilizing and saving this home. Take a look at some photos of the interior and exterior. And if you have information about this historic home (photos, stories, etc.) or would be interested in helping with the clean-up, write us. Here's a great slideshow of the November work day at Rosetyme, by Hanaba Welch.

Take a tour of this 86 year old recently renovated school in Dallas Old Schools make Great New Schools. Booker T. Washington school in Dallas, the first Black high school, recently reopened as a Magnet School. The project includes significant new construction while preserving the historic building. Click on the photo at left to view a short video tour.
Historic WTU Power and Ice Plant The industrial plant that "put Abilene on the map" as a town serious about growth and business is up for sale, and a public discussion of ideas for its reuse is beginning. Here's the article from the Abilene Reporter-News site. Have a comment for us or an idea for the plant? Click to let us know. Here's an in-depth photo tour of the power plant.

Story of an Austin Home's Journey Toward Renewal
A home in Austin that had fallen on hard times gets a redo. Like many historic projects, not everyone agrees about every aspect of the restoration, but the home is saved. From the Austin American Statesman.

Is Vinyl Siding really all that great?
With all the marketing, you need an objective view of the plusses and minuses of putting vinyl siding on your house. Here's a link to a good article that goes into detail about the issue and has a good list of further resources. (Click on the Related Links link at the bottom for the PDF file.)

Historic Districts: around Texas
In San Antonio, "nearly all real estate professionals agree historic neighborhoods look better over time in comparison to nearby subdivisions that don't have historic designation," says Virginia Nicholas, board president of the San Antonio Conservation Society.
Download PDF file of article

An old neighborhood's new momentum is building
A historic neighborhood district in McKinney has been drawing newcomers to the city, increasing the tax base and attracting young people. Check out the article in the Dallas Morning News about the success McKinney's historic district has generated.
Download PDF file of article 

And Finally...(!)
University of Utah researchers found that people who live in older, more walkable neighborhoods are at lower risk for overweight and obesity. Newer neighborhoods, which are mostly designed for automobiles, are more likely to have residents who have a little trouble meeting their exercise goals, according to the study.