2017-086 Historic DesignationsDate: December 8, 2017 Report No. 2017-086
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Overview of historic designations within the Downtown Square.
BACKGROUND:
On November 7, 2017 Council requested that staff research the possibilities of designating the
Fine Arts Theater building (113-115 N. Elm St.) as a historic landmark and the Downtown
Square as a historic district. The Fine Arts Theatre is not currently specifically designated as a
historic landmark. There are three different levels in which a building or area can be designated
as historic. This can be achieved in several ways:
Federal: the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) through the National Parks
Service;
State: Recorded Texas Historical Landmark (RTHL) through the Texas Historical
Commission;
Local designation: historic landmark, historic district or historic conservation district.
Currently, the Denton Courthouse Square is listed as a historic district through the National
Register of Historic Places. The Denton County Courthouse is also designated as a Texas
Historical Landmark, as well as City Hall West and the Campus Theatre (214 W. Hickory St.).
DISCUSSION:
Consideration of options to designate the Fine Arts Theatre as a State or local landmark or the
Square as a local historic district. The following provides specifics on the each of the three levels
of historic designations.
National Register of Historic Places (Federal)
Currently the Downtown Square is listed on the NRHP as the Denton County Courthouse Square
Historical District. It was given this designation on December 28, 2000 and included a number of
buildings as contributing towards that designation. The Fine Arts Theater is listed as a
contributing building for the district along with 29 other buildings, sites, structures, and objects
that can be found in the National Register Nomination File.
The following applies to all buildings within a NRHP district:
Federal preservation grants for planning and rehabilitation are available.
Federal investment tax credits are available up to 20% of eligible costs.
Preservation easements for non-profits.
International building code fire and life safety alternatives available.
Property may be eligible for additional state tax benefits and grants. Texas currently
offers a credit worth 25% of eligible rehabilitation costs.
NRHP designation puts no restriction on what a property owner may do with a property
unless federal assistance is received.
Does not automatically invoke local historic district or landmark designation.
Date: December 8, 2017 Report No. 2017-086
Recorded Texas Historical Landmarks (State)
Currently there are three buildings in the Downtown area that are designated as Recorded Texas
Historical Landmarks: City Hall West, Campus Theatre, and the Denton County Courthouse.
Buildings on the Downtown Square eligible for RTHL designation are those buildings at least 50
years of age and retains the integrity from a period of at least 50 years ago.
(RTHL and NHRP designation are separate and are not a prerequisite for either designation nor
do they guarantee listing in the other register.)
The following applies to all RTHL buildings:
Buildings qualify for a 25% tax credit for eligible rehabilitation costs, but it is not
necessary to receive the state tax credit.
(An NRHP designation also allows a candidate to receive the tax credit.)
If a building is a RTHL then notification must be made to the Texas Historical
Commission at least 60 days prior to any alterations being made to the building.
If the changes made to the structure are unwarranted or appreciable then the State Marker
Review Board may withdraw the designation.
Locally Designated Historic Landmarks or Districts (Local)
A building or district can also be designated at the local level through the City Council. There are
seven buildings, as shown in Attachment 1, that are local historic landmarks in the Downtown
Square. The Fine Arts Theatre is not currently a historic landmark. The Denton Development
Code lists 13 criteria that allow designation of a landmark and one is “Recognition as a recorded
state historic landmark, a national historic landmark or entered into the National Register of
Historic Places”. Typically the owner of a property applies for a historic landmark designation.
There has been no precedent where the City initiated a designation. An informal staff report was
provided to the Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) in 2013 about the designation of the
Courthouse Square as a local historic district, but there was no interest from the property owners
at that time. In January 2018, the HLC will receive a report and hold a discussion regarding
locally designating the Downtown Square and surrounding area as a historic district.
The following applies to buildings designated as a local historic landmark:
Eligible for exemptions of 50% of city property taxes for 10 years may be granted based
on certain criteria. (Denton City Charter; Chapter 10; Article VI – VII)
Buildings within a historic district are not eligible for the tax exemption unless those
buildings are also separately designated as a historic landmark.
A Certificate of Appropriateness is required for any work except routine maintenance.
Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness must be approved by the HLC prior to
beginning work on a historic landmark building or on buildings in a historic district or
conservation district.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Historic Landmark Data
Date: December 8, 2017 Report No. 2017-086
STAFF CONTACT:
Charlie Rosendahl
Management Analyst
Charles.Rosendahl@cityofdenton.com
940-349-8433
HISTORIC LANDMARKS OF DENTON
Date: 9/25/2017
Bell Avenue Conservation District
Oak Hickory Historic District
Denton ISD
Universities
Local Historic Landmark
Local Historic Landmark; Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Local Historic Landmark; Recorded Texas Historic Landmark; National Register; Museum
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Museum
E COLLEGE ST
OAKLAND STS WELCH STSCHMITZ
AVE
GROVE ST
TEXAS ST
MINGO RDSUNSET ST
EGAN ST
PANHANDLE ST
W MULBERRY ST
CRESCENT ST
CORDELL ST
OLD MAIN CIRLIBRARY
E THIRD ST
S LOCUST STE MULBERRY ST
S AUSTIN STAMARILLO STS CEDAR STS ELM STN ELM STRAILROAD AVEN CARROLL BLVDBERNARD STPONDER AVEROBERTS ST
S BELLAVEADMINISTRATION DRHINKLE DRMOUNTSAVECHAPEL DR
TULANE
DR
EMERY ST N LOCUST STALICE STPALMER DRE UNIVERSITY DR
BROADWAY ST
E SH
E
R M AN D
R
KENT
STFULTON STW U N IVERS I TY D R
W SHERMAN DR
E OAK ST
HANN ST
SAWYER AVE
ROSS ST
VINE STE HICKORY ST
WESTWAY ST
MARSHALL ST
N WELCH STW HICKORY ST N AUSTIN STWILLIAMS STN CEDAR STPINERSTW OAK ST
W MCKINNEY ST
OAKLAND STGREGG ST
S CARROLLBLVDN BELL AVEANNA STN AUSTIN STW CONGRESS ST
W COLLEGE ST
PAULINE
STCOIT STFERGUSON ST
GRACE
TEMPLE
AVE DENISON STGARY ST
W THIRD ST
SECOND ST
FIRST ST
PIRTLE ST
BOLIVAR STW PARKWAY ST BROWNDRFRAME STPEARL ST
ANDERSON ST
HAYNES ST
E MCKINNEY ST BELL PLFOREST ST
HUFFORD CT
WITHERS ST
WOODLAND ST
LINDEN DR ANNA STLOWRY
WOODS LN
DENTON ST39
25
20
29 41
40
24
45
2
32 22
124814
37
38 28341646
481
21
42
17
49
13
18
26
27
35
50
4330
31
4451
52
5354
55
5657
58
59
60
61
84
63
65
71
74
68
78
82
67
70
83
66
79
76
69
62
75
0 500 1,000250
Feet
*Not shown in map extent
ID NAME DESIGNATION ADDRESS
1H-1123 N ELM ST
2 Simmons-Maxwell House H-4 607 PEARL ST
3H-5609 W OAK ST
4 Christal House H-6 722 W OAK ST
5H-7705 W OAK ST
6 Martin-Russell House H-8 811 W OAK ST
7H-9723 W OAK ST
8H-10812 OAK ST
9 James Newton and Eva Tabor Rayzor House H-11 1003 W OAK ST
10 H-12 1023 W OAK ST
11 H-13 1015 W OAK ST
12 H-14 610 W OAK ST
13 H-15 1819 N BELL AVE
14 H-16 818 W OAK ST
15 Scripture - Deavenport House H-17 819 W OAK ST
16 H-18 1004 W OAK ST
17 H-19 119 W HICKORY
18 H-21 218 N LOCUST ST
19* Oakwood Cemetery H-22
20 H-23 1314 N LOCUST ST
21 Denton County Courthouse H-24 110 W HICKORY ST
22 1927 Denton City Hall H-25 221 N ELM ST
23* H-26 1555 LINDSAY
24 H-27 703 BOLIVAR ST
25 H-28 619 GROVE ST
26 H-29 HICKORY & BELL (SE CORNER)
27 H-30 HICKORY & BELL (SW CORNER)
28 H-33 217 E OAK ST
29 H-35 805 BOLIVAR ST
30 Rayzor-Graham House H-36 928 W HICKORY ST
31 H-37 118 N LOCUST ST
32 Robert Mounts House 91-001 305 MOUNTS ST
33 92-002 915 W OAK ST
1/2 W OAK ST
35 Campus Theatre 93-002 214 W HICKORY
36 94-001 1035 W OAK ST
37 94-002 1004 W OAK ST
38 94-003 1018 W OAK ST
39 95-001 1513 N LOCUST ST
40 2006-285 815 N LOCUST ST
41 98-002 821 N LOCUST ST
42 99-315 100 N LOCUST ST
43 99-313 421 E HICKORY
44 99-314 215 E MCKINNEY ST
45 99-316 520 AUSTIN ST
46 98-001 918 W OAK ST
47* 2007-201 2044 W OAK
48 2008-065 122 N LOCUST ST
49 2010-013 322 TEXAS ST
50 2012-189 903 W OAK ST
W CONGRESS ST
52 2015-027 801 W OAK ST
53 2015-028 912 W OAK ST
54 2015-029 924 W OAK ST
W CONGRESS ST
56 2015-148 923 W OAK ST
W OAK ST
N LOCUST ST
59 2017-042 717 W OAK ST
N BELL AVE
61 2017-044 619 PEARL ST
62 Beulah A. Harris MCKINNEY ST
63 Confederate Memorial 110 W HICKORY ST
64* Corinth Shiloh Cemetery
65 Denton County 110 W HICKORY ST
66 Denton Senior High School 709 CONGRESS ST
67 Denton, City of 110 W HICKORY ST
68 Denton, John B. 110 W HICKORY ST
69 Edna Westrbook Trigg in Denton County 110 W HICKORY ST
70 First Building of Texas Woman's University 1410 E UNIVERSITY DR
71 First Methodist Church of Denton 201 S LOCUST ST
72* Historical Building 1308 W OAK ST
73* I.O.O.F. Cemetery 100F CEMETERY
74 Immaculate Conception Catholic Church 1512 ELM ST
75 Mounts-Wright House 403 MOUNTS ST
76 North Texas State Fair and Rodeo N UNIVERSITY DR
77* Old Alton Cemetery TEASLEY LN
78 Pioneer Woman 1410 E UNIVERSITY DR
79 Quakertown MCKINNEY ST
80* Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church 320 CRAWFORD
81* St. Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church
82 Texas Normal College 110 W HICKORY ST
83 University Gardens, Texas Woman's University 1410 E UNIVERSITY DR
84 Bayless-Selby House Museum 317 W MULBERRY ST
85* Denton Co. Historical Museum/Texas Heritage Center 5800 N I-35