Heritage, Summer 2005 Page: 10
38 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Sonora Success Story
In 1992, a group of civic leaders and
community volunteers from Sonora
looked at their downtown, with its old
buildings and empty spaces, and wondered
what could be done to make this
area thrive again. While not quite a
ghost town, central Sonora was largely
abandoned as many local businesses had
left the downtown area, relocating closer
to Interstate 10 and the traffic there.
About that time Anice Read, founder
of the Main Street Program in Texas,
heard about Sonora and decided to visit.
Read took an immediate interest in the
town and decided to kick off the Main
Street program in West Texas there. So
in 1993 Sonora, with only 3,000 residents,
became an official Main Street
Program town, and one year later, it was
elevated to the Graduate Program.
Twelve years after joining the Main
Street Program, the small town can now
boast of a record 39 restoration projects
in the downtown area, costing a total of
more than $3 million in public and private
funds. City leaders strive to ensure
that all buildings in the downtown
remain occupied, and thus far, the 92
percent retention rate among tenants
has provided a strong economic base for
the community.
One of the most noteworthy projects
undertaken by the people of Sonora was
the restoration of the Sutton County
Courthouse. Built in 1891 by architect
Oscar Ruffini, the courthouse was renovated
with the help of two preservation
grants, one that remodeled the outside,
and the other that is being used to redo
the inside. A THC Courthouse Grant in
the amount of $998,000 began the work
in 2001, and the project will be completed
later this year with the help of a second
THC grant of $1.2 million. In 2002,
the Sutton County Courthouse was
named Best Restoration Project by the
Texas Downtown Association.
The first phase of work on the courthouse
included restoration of the exterior
and installation of an ADA-compliant
(Americans with Disabilities
Act) elevator. The exterior masonrywas cleaned and repointed, wood windows
were restored, and a new roof system
was installed. Work also included
structural repairs, relocation and upgrading
of the electrical system, and restroom
modifications. Missing elements such as
the roof dormers and iron cresting were
replicated based on existing physical evidence
and historic photos.
The second phase focuses on restoration
of the interior spaces and construction
of a new accessible ramp on the
exterior. Work includes stripping and
restoration of interior woodwork, plaster
repairs, furniture and wood floor
restoration, electrical upgrades, new
HVAC, and installation of a fire sprinkler
system. A new ADA-compliant
ramp will also be constructed at the east
entrance to the building.
During the remodeling of the inside of
the courthouse, contractors made a discovery
of "historic" proportion.
Underneath layers of paint and plaster,
workers uncovered a gold stencil border
that lined the walls in all of the rooms in
the courthouse. By studying historic photographs,
architects knew that the stencil
was located in at least some of the rooms,
but the design had long since been forgotten.
According to Chris Hutson, project
architect, "We actually uncovered
two separate stencils, one on top of the
other. The larger one dates at least to the
early 1920s, and there is a smaller pattern
Ithat we think was painted 10 to 20 years
later." He continued, "Since the interior
of the courthouse is being restored to its
1925 appearance, we are most interested
in the earlier pattern. That stencilling,
however, is in such poor condition that it
cannot be preserved, so we are re-creating
it, based on the original pattern and
colors."
Another more recent restoration project
undertaken by the citizens of Sonora
is the one that saved their Old Rock
School. This early 20th-century building
was the first school in Sonora, and
between 1904-1950 it served the town in
many different capacities. Around 1950,
though, the school district moved regular
classrooms to another nearby building
and began to use the Old Rock School
for administrative and special education
purposes. Later, as the school system and
the number of students grew, civic leaders
realized that the old building, which was
in desperate need of repair, might once
again be serviceable to the people of
Sonora. In 2003, with community-wide
support, a $1.55 million dollar bond was
passed to restore the beautiful old school
building. The structure was essentially
gutted and reconstructed in a process
that took nearly two and-a-half years to
complete. While the outside of the
school may look like the 1904 building
that it is, the classrooms have been
updated with the newest technology. AllA historic photograph of the Sutton County Courthouse. From Volz & Associates.
HERITA GE t SUMMER 2005
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Summer 2005, periodical, Summer 2005; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45369/m1/10/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.