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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Landmark Commission - 05/26/2022 MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING LANDMARK COMMISSION CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS - 4:30 pm 1201 LEOPARD STREET MAY 26, 2022 STAFF: Nina Nixon-Mendez, Assistant Director & Historic Preservation Officer Catherine Garza, Agenda Coordinator Buck Brice, Assistant City Attorney I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order and a quorum was established with Commissioners De La Garza, Brown, Montez and Wade Williams absent. II. PUBLIC COMMENT – None. III. 2022 ANNUAL PRESERVATION AWARDS CEREMONY Chairman Mendez began the ceremony by stating that the annual preservation awards solicit nominations for projects that exemplify best practices in historic preservation and organizations or individuals that promote historic preservation in Corpus Christi. This year, four awards will be presented, two for each category for Project and Organization/Individual. The first Project award was presented to ButterKrust Storage, LLC for the rehabilitation of the historic Butter Krust building at 2002 Ayers. The Art Moderne building was constructed in 1938 and expanded in 1953. After the Butter Krust plant closed, the building was vacant from 1997-2018. Butter Krust Storage purchased and renovated the building while keeping the integrity of the exterior of the building, including the sign. Butter Krust Storage named its business to honor the building’s history. The owner was commended for the historic building's adaptive reuse, which fosters community revitalization. ButterKrust was redeveloped by SafeSpace Holdings, owned by Chris Genard, and Ronald Fremin. After visiting the property for the first time and embracing the iconic nature of the building and community, the owners kept the name "ButterKrust" to honor the integrity of the building and pay respect to the history of Corpus Christi. Chris Genard and Ronald Fremin accepted the award. They gave a brief speech and explained how they decided to keep the original name to honor the buildings history. The second Project award was presented to Robert Cooper for the revitalization of the historic gas station building located at 724 N. Mesquite Street. The Spanish Colonial Revival building was constructed circa 1914 as a gas station and later housed a dry cleaner. In 2017, Robert Cooper, the building’s owner, rehabilitated the property for a bar, known as The Gold Fish. Robert Cooper in partnership with The Goldfish was commended for the adaptive reuse of the historic building which fosters downtown revitalization. Robert Cooper accepted the award he gave a brief speech thanking the Commission for the acknowledgement. The first Organization award was presented to Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, for the purchase of the former J.C. Penney building at 223 N. Chaparral in 2019, creating a presence in Corpus Christi’s downtown. The university plans to renovate the Streamline Moderne building, constructed in 1948, for its art gallery and other “public facing” programs. Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi was commended for the planned adaptive reuse of this prominent building and for its investment and expansion into the historic downtown. Accepting the award is COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Armando Mendez - Chairman Dr. Ira Freeman – Vice Chairman Madeleine Fontenot Wade Williams Matthew Forrester COMMISSIONERS: Roslyn Michelle Wanzer Veronica Wilson Dr. James Pruitt Dr. Kelly M. Miller, President and CEO of Texas A&M University – Corpus Christ. She gave a brief speech thanking the Commission for the acknowledgement and gave more information for future events of the project. The second Organization award was presented to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Commissioned on March 12, 1941, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi was the largest naval air training station in world at the time of completion. Over the course of World War II, 35,000 student pilots received their training at NAS Corpus Christi. Today, the Naval Air Station is home to Chief of Naval Air Training, Training Air Wing FOUR, Corpus Christi Army Depot and other tenants. NAS Corpus Christi has supported pilot training operations since 1941. Naval Air Station Corpus Christi was commended for the preservation and rehabilitation of many of its World War II era buildings. Originally constructed in 1941, the Chief of Naval Air Training headquarters was completely renovated and re-opened on November 12, 2020. Station Theater, now known as Wings Auditorium, is being rehabilitated. The USO Facility in Building 3 is being remodeled. The historic Protestant Chapel and Gymnasium are still on site and in use. The Naval Air Station was acknowledged for its dedication to retaining and preserving significant World War II era buildings, at times with limited funding, and commend their leadership efforts in historic preservation. Captain Christopher Jason, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi accepted the award. Mr. Ben Polak, Community Planning Liaison Officer (CPLO), NAS Corpus Christi and Ms. Fifi Kieschnick, Public Affairs Officer, NAS Corpus Christi, were also in attendance. Captain Jason thanked the Commission for the acknowledgement and mentioned that these projects can be challenging but NAS Corpus Christi values its history/heritage. He added that their current focus is completing the Wings Auditorium renovation. Next, Chairman Mendez announced the recipients of the Historic Preservation Photo Contest in honor of National Preservation Month. During the month of May, the City of Corpus Christi celebrates National Preservation Month. The City invited photographers of all skill levels to capture a unique view of the city’s perceived landmarks. Photographs were submitted via Instagram and FaceBook, with identifying information and the hashtag, PreserveCC22. People’s choice voting of the entries occurred from May 4th through May 10th. The photos of the winners and other selected photos will be displayed at City Hall, the Development Services Department and La Retama Library this summer. Chairman Mendez also thanked the team from the City of Corpus Christi Communications Department who were instrumental in developing this contest on social media. Each contest winner was given an opportunity to give a brief speech. The following Historic Preservation Photo Contest Winners are: o Fourth Place – Bailey Williams for the photograph of the Sunrise Mall o Third Place – Third place was a tie: Bailey Williams for the photograph of the old Nueces County Courthouse, and Carlos Tamez-Mendez for the photograph of the Marina. o Second Place – John Caceres for the photograph of Cole Park Pier. o First Place – Our First Pace winner is Carlos Tamez-Mendez for the photograph of Downtown. IV. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.