This Morning, Landmark Commission Will Talk About Razing, Hiding Vacant Buildings

By Robert Wilonsky Mon., Aug. 3 2009 at 9:17 AM

Categories: Local Music, News

Hadn't planned on going to Landmark Commission this morning, but the briefing session at least does look irresistible. First up is that much-worked-over ordinance that would allow the city to tear down historic structures with nothing more than a court order. We've been writing about this thing for a year, but as Sam noted a couple of weeks back, it's still a point of contention among preservationists (who thought this whole point was to deal with blighted structures in residential areas) and city officials (who, some worry, are aiming their wrecking balls at vacant buildings in, oh, let's say downtown).

And, speaking of, we always tend to come back to the Statler. But, boyoboyoboy, there's this to look forward to today as well: "Presentation of design concepts for AIA Dallas and DOWNTOWN DALLAS Dallas Grand Hotel (Statler Hilton) Temporary Facade Installation." Notes the AIA Dallas's Web site for the competition about which we wrote last month, "The winner and honorable mentions will be notified at the beginning of the week of August 3rd." Can. Not. Wait. (Side note: Yesterday, driving down Commerce Street, I noticed a few folks going in and out of the Statler. Why? Hard to say. By the time I swung around, they were gone. Ghosts, pretty sure.)