Foundation Receives Keys to 1895 City Hall
Mayor King passes the ceremonial key to Foundation Chair Collier Perry.
Perry unveils the architectural model revealing the building’s original design.
Architect Stan Graves and Perry don top hats in celebration of The 1895 restoration project.
A banner shares the Foundation’s vision for The 1895 building.
Plans include re-building the bell tower for the original bell to call home.
ROCKDALE, TX, December 3, 2020 – Vision Historic Preservation Foundation closed on the 1895 City Hall property at 140 W Cameron Ave in Rockdale on Friday, November 20th. Plans are to restore the historic City Hall to its original grandeur and bring new purpose to the building. The vacant 1895 City Hall is located on Cameron Avenue (Highway 79) in the heart of downtown. While the building has served many functions over the past 125 years, it was most recently used as the police station and city jail by the City of Rockdale until they relocated to the newly built station in March 2019.
City leadership joined members of the Vision Historic Preservation Foundation to officially hand over the keys to the 1895 City Hall. The ceremony included a short keynote address by Milam County Historic Commission Chairman Lynn Young, and an unveiling of a 3-Dimensional 3/16th scale model of the project. The goal is to restore the building to architect Arthur O. Watson’s original design, including the bell tower.
“We are so excited about being involved with making this restoration project come to life,” said Collier Perry, Foundation Chair & Managing Director. “Having grown up in Rockdale and raised my family here, I have always looked at the pictures of this grand old building and longed to see it come to life as the downtown center for culture and business it was conceived to be.”
VISION TO HAVE POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY – The venture is not just an effort to preserve an important piece of Rockdale’s history, but also an economic development project toward building on the future of Rockdale. “Can you picture the vision the 1895 City Council must have had in initiating the construction of this City Hall,” Perry expressed with pride. “It takes my breath away to think about that – and we want this beautiful building to have that effect on others once again.”
The vision to restore the 1895 City Hall is timely, as TXDOT is set to break ground after Thanksgiving on a revitalization project in historic downtown which will result in road improvements, new sidewalks & lighting, and improved parking. “Once completed, the restored 1895 City Hall, along with the TXDOT project, will have a huge impact on enhancing Rockdale’s Downtown area,” stated Rockdale Mayor John King. “The restoration of the old building is something that the City just could not undertake because of funding.”
“Listening to Mr. Perry’s plans for this building, the project will be a much-needed injection to Rockdale’s economic revitalization,” stated Michelle Larkin, Rockdale Municipal Development District Chair. “The sale of the vacant building to the Vision Historic Preservation Foundation was a win-win for all parties concerned and I am excited to see this project come to fruition.”
Collier & Peggy Perry and Dell Perry Giles are serving as the initial officers of the Foundation. Mr. Perry has been assembling an enthusiastic team to consult and fundraise to make this project a success, and will be looking to recruit passionate, dedicated stakeholders from the community to serve as Foundation Board Members.
The fundraising for this project will begin in early 2021. “I am confident that over the next few years we can achieve the goal of raising the $4 million needed for this project,” states the Foundation’s Campaign Manager, Curah Beard. “It is a challenge, but we will be pursuing a variety of funding options on the local, state and national level, including grants, capital campaigns, fundraising programs, and special events.”
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Vision Historic Preservation Foundation, a newly formed Texas Non-Profit 501.c.3 Corporation, is dedicated to the restoration & revitalization of Rockdale’s 1895 City Hall with the goal of preserving the past and building the future through economic development ventures which will culturally and economically benefit the community.
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For more information about Vision Historic Preservation Foundation’s 1895 City Hall project, please call Curah Beard at 512-496-3962, or email cbeard@visionhistoricpreservationfoundation.org
