Martin Hall Renovations Prove Daunting But Doable

TYLER, TX—The renovation of historic building Martin Hall at Texas College has been completed. Martin Hall is Texas College’s historic administrative building that dates back almost 100 years, placing it on the National Register of Historic Places in Smith County. Texas College was founded as a Methodist-supported college for African Americans in 1894.

The three-story Classic Revival brick building is the focal point of the campus. Martin Hall originally housed classrooms, administrative offices and assembly spaces before becoming the college’s designated administration building. The original auditorium remains.

But in 2015, the building experienced structural degradation and moisture infiltration due to storm damage. Merriman Anderson/Architects/MAA was the architect on the historic renovation project. MAA’s work on the project included various assessments, waterproofing and structural remediation, historic documentation through the state level, and non-historic improvements including site work and interior finish out.

“The entire foundation system was essentially rebuilt in place because of degradation and soil movement,” Kyle Cooper, project architect at Merriman Anderson/Architects, tells GlobeSt.com. “During the early stages of producing the documents, the building was hit by a small tornado which further damaged the structural system and caused massive water damage, making the challenge of saving the building even more daunting.”

MAA has completed 33 historic renovation and mixed-use projects in Texas and across the country in the last 17 years. The architectural firm has the largest body of preservation design work in the city and is responsible for the restoration of 23 historic buildings in downtown Dallas during that timeframe. A few projects include The Statler, 1401 Elm, Dallas High School, Tower Petroleum Building and LTV Tower.

On May 15, Merriman Anderson/Architects will be recognized for its contributions to and support of historic preservation in Dallas. Preservation Dallas’ 2019 Preservation Achievement Awards is making a special tribute to MAA during its awards ceremony.

Preservation Dallas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the city’s historic buildings, neighborhoods and places. Each year, Preservation Dallas hosts an achievement awards ceremony to recognize Dallas’ residential and commercial historic preservation projects along with the individuals who are committed to making Dallas a better place to live by promoting its architectural heritage.

The National Register of Historic Places is a federal program administered at the state level by the Texas Historical Commission via the National Park Service. It does not offer protection against demolition or alteration.

There are more than 90,000 NR listings nationally and more than 3,000 in Texas. In Dallas, there are 89 individual National Register listings and 27 National Register historic districts. These properties may qualify income-producing property owners for up to 20% tax credit for rehabilitation costs.

Properties must be 50 years old or older or exceptionally important architecturally or historically and can be buildings, structures, objects or sites. Common examples include houses, districts, schools, hotels, theaters, office properties, barns, bridges, lighthouses, ships, highways, monuments, statues, battlefields, parks, shipwrecks and prehistoric archeological sites, GlobeSt.com learns.