Vision Historic Preservation Foundation (Vision Rockdale) hosted a tour of The 1895 City Hall for members of the Texas Historical Foundation (THF) Board of Directors. Earlier this year, Vision Rockdale was a recipient of a $5,000 grant from THF’s Michael Duda Historic Architectural Endowment.
In 2019, Texas Historical Foundation renamed the grant to honor the memory of Board Member Michael C. Duda who had provided stewardship for the creation of the grant. The Duda Historic Architectural Grants are intended to support projects which preserve or celebrate Texas architecture.
“The 1895 is a wonderful example of architectural restoration projects honoring the history and character of a community,” stated Judy Davis, presenting THF Board Member. “Once restored to A.O. Watson’s original design, The 1895 will be a beautiful centerpiece of Rockdale’s downtown district.”
Vision Historic Preservation Foundation is applying the $5,000 towards the reconstruction of the bell tower and has met the required $20,000 match set by THF in this portion of the project. Work on the steel framing for the bell tower is scheduled to begin the last week of December and brick masonry work will commence in early 2023. “We estimate the complete restoration of the front façade to be finished by mid-2023,” said Chairman Collier Perry. “This is the most architecturally and engineering- intensive portion of the restoration project and will represent a major accomplishment of which not only the Foundation will be proud, but the community of Rockdale can be proud.”
Vision Historic Preservation Foundation continues its fundraising initiatives as there is a projected $110,000 in masonry work slated for early 2023. The Foundation’s architect is finalizing Phase Two construction documents focusing on the remaining exterior faces of the building. “The 1895 originally took almost five years to construct and, likewise, we expect the complete interior and exterior restoration to take a few years,” explained Curah Beard, Foundation Executive Director. “But every grant and every donation from individuals and businesses helps advance that timetable and for that we are grateful.”
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