With Demo Permit in Hand, DISD's Closer to Razing Historic Oak Cliff Christian Church

By Robert Wilonsky Thu., Dec. 17 2009 at 4:18 PM

Categories: News

Oak Cliff Christian Church in an undated photo, courtesy the Oak Cliff Conservation League

Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander says he can't talk about the district's intentions with the former Oak Cliff Christian Church on 10th Street, which, as we first mentioned Tuesday morning, is part of the new Adamson High School campus. (Specifically, the 104-year-old church is scheduled to become tennis courts, according to plans seen by Adamson alum.) But this much we do know: Katherine Seale, exec director for Preservation Dallas, just called with the news that DISD yesterday filed with building inspection for a certificate of demolition.

That means the district can raze the structure, well, anytime it so chooses. (Demolition can begin four hours after a permit has been filed.) And the tear-down might come sooner than later, given the sudden interest preservationists -- including the Oak Cliff Conservation League, whose president, Michael Amonett, send a letter to the board of trustees today asking them to keep the bulldozers at bay -- have taken in the structure following DISD's putting a fence around the building earlier this week, along with a sign noting it's the "future site of the new W.H. Adamson Replacement High School."

"There are so many other places this could be done than on this piece of history," Amonett tells Unfair Park. "It's just a loss to the area. My hope and my prayer is someone will get a better idea. Use this building as part of the new campus, but don't raze it for a tennis court. It's amazing to me."

"It's sad, because this is further loss of that neighborhood," Seale says. "It's one of the oldest churches in Oak Cliff and one of the most significant buildings on 10th Street, and we're not going to be able to rebuild history. The fact there is so much vacant property available for sale for DISD, it's a shame they had to choose this property."

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