As Arlington grows, the city seeks to honor historically significant homes
When Lisa and Scott Perkins bought their home at the corner of North and Elm streets in Arlington, they saw an investment opportunity.
The house, built in 1918, sits in the Old Town Historic District, one of the city’s few remaining areas where concentrations of late 19th- and early 20th century homes still stand. The picturesque neighborhood is also walking distance from downtown Arlington and close to UT Arlington and the entertainment district, making the abode a candidate for a dorm-style house.
After they renovated the home, including adding in a fourth room, the Perkinses had a change of heart: Instead of renting it to college students, they moved in and made it their own.
“We ended up putting in a lot of blood, sweat and tears and decided that after all the hard work that we wanted to live in it ourselves,” Lisa Perkins said.
The couple applied in October for the city’s local landmark program, an honorary designation that Arlington officials created to recognize buildings that are historically, culturally or architecturally significant. Their application for the program is pending City Council approval.
“I think that we do take pride in our community and the neighborhood and investing in the history of the house itself,” Lisa Perkins said.
The local marker program does not come with tax incentives or special property designation, nor does it prevent property owners from modifying the buildings. But the designation may go a long way to educate communities and residents on local history as the city develops, said Kristina Rumans, Landmark Preservation Commission chair.
“There’s a lot more work and value put into the property when it’s marked,” Rumans said.
City Council members recently approved Arlington’s 30th local marker for a home along Second Street during their Dec. 15 council meeting. Rumans said she is processing several recent applications that may soon find their way a city agenda.
The program has recognized buildings and areas throughout the city, including the Old Town neighborhood, the Fielder House at 1616 W. Abram St. and Arlington Music Hall at 224 N. Center St. According to a 2007 survey, hundreds of locations around the the city are considered historic resources.
“Our city is relatively young,” Rumans said. “It (was founded) in the late 1800s compared to some cities that have been around since America’s founding. You just have to take it in the context of what’s available.”
Several homes in the Perkinses’ neighborhood are considered local landmarks. Old Town homes and the neighborhood itself account for just over a fifth of the city’s local landmarks.
Around the corner, on Elm Street, Dorothy and Larry Howells’ city plaque hangs under one from the U.S. Interior Department’s National Register of Historic Places program, which recognized the neighborhood in 2000. The Howells have built several houses and always wanted to restore one. They found that opportunity after the Cox-Carnahan House went up for sale in the late 1970s.
The home, constructed using a rare architectural style in the city, had been built in 1908. The Howells spent two-and-a-half years renovating the home. The city awarded the home a local marker in 2014.
“This marker is really important in a lot of ways, just a sign that we really bought something we thought was special,” Dorothy Howell said.
Becoming a landmark
Sarah Stubblefield, the city’s historic preservation officer, said there’s plenty more room for more landmark designations, but assumptions about the program may turn people off to applying.
“So many people are afraid of the historic designation, especially at the local level, because they’re afraid of anything that may happen for future sales or property values,” Stubblefield said.
The designation, she added, may pose a “strong selling point in the future” for homeowners.
“It is a resource that we use as development is happening in and around areas where we have resources to highlight that and make sure we’re taking a good look at what is around as things start to change,” Stubblefield said.
Scott Perkins, who grew up in the Old Town district, said it takes a community to keep historic elements of an area, or find incoming developers who will honor the history.
“It’s just tougher and tougher to hang onto some of the older homes,” he said.
Spots in Arlington that qualify for the designation must be at least 50 years old, visible to the public and be within city limits. The property or area must also hold some historic, architectural or cultural significance to the city.
Those interested in applying can visit the city website.
