DTD: 508 Park Avenue

[dallastophoenix]

Music center plan rises from blues

By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News

Music can help a city shape its image and attract tourists and their dollars.

Chicago peddles blues and gospel; New Orleans and Kansas City sell jazz; Memphis deals soul and blues; Detroit has Motown; Nashville nurtures country.

All of these cities have annual festivals or tourist attractions that capitalize on their musical roots.

When Congress declared 2003 the Year of the Blues, these cities and even small towns in the Delta used the mandate to raise their profiles.

Tiny Indianola, Miss., planted a historical marker on the street corner where B.B. King played for tips as young boy. City leaders plan to open a B.B. King blues museum in two years to commemorate his 80th birthday.


Dallas has a rhythm as well, but it's one that's hard for outsiders, and even insiders, to capture.

It's the city where Aaron "T-Bone" Walker emerged on the scene with "Trinity River Blues." And it's where many believe Robert Johnson recorded 13 songs that influenced blues and rock 'n' roll.

South Dallas fostered the careers of soul blues stalwarts Z.Z. Hill , Little Joe Blue and others.

Soul great Johnnie Taylor died here. Erykah Badu was raised here.

Despite the rich culture, Dallas has failed to market its musical history.

That could change, if the plans of music lovers and politicians take shape.

A band of men want to turn a decaying building at 508 Park Ave., two blocks east of City Hall, into a Texas music center.

The three-story art deco building was where, in 1937, Mr. Johnson probably recorded such songs as "Love in Vain" and "Me and the Devil Blues."

They were the last 13 songs he recorded. Fourteen months later, he was dead, poisoned by the owner of a Mississippi roadhouse. The singer is said to have tried to seduce his wife.

Larry Taylor, one of the men who wants to turn the building into a music center, said the city should capitalize on its history.

"Dallas doesn't really understand how it relates to the cultural experience we enjoy today," Mr. Taylor said, "We're hoping we can help people identify with our past and unique music history."

Mr. Taylor is working with city officials on the center's logistics and hopes to open it by 2005.

His group has already gathered a number of items for display.

Mr. Taylor has the support of City Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill, a preservationist and blues enthusiast.

"I'm in favor of saving most old buildings," she said. "Especially those that created such wonderful music."

Another council member, Leo Chaney Jr., also hopes to market Dallas' blues tradition.

Mr. Chaney wants to transform parts of the area near Fair Park into an entertainment district that would focus on African-American music, including blues.

Backers hope the entertainment district will rival Beale Street in Memphis and Vine Street in Kansas City.

"It's going to help revitalize the South Dallas/Fair Park area and at the same time showcase the contributions Dallas has made to blues and other African-American music forms," Mr. Chaney said.

He said he has commitments from club owners in other parts of the city to move inside the district.

Such a strip could radically change South Dallas.

The area is now under strict development guidelines that seek to control the proliferation of liquor stores, motels and other businesses deemed by some as unsavory.

But the neighborhoods lack entertainment options, especially when it comes to music.

For some, it's a sad commentary, because South Dallas launched the careers of so many legends.

"It's going to be an important project for South Dallas," Mr. Chaney said. "But it will be a project everyone will enjoy."

E-mail gjeffers@dallasnews.com

[jammin]

Awesome!!!

[bloodandpopcorn]

Great news!! Will it just be a museum, or will it also feature a few venues for current musicians to play?

[dallastophoenix]

not sure about the museum. i'm excited b/c the area around fair park is just waiting to become a hot spot. it's such a dynamic area with so much potential.

[maconahey]

Blues for 508 Park Ave.: Owners of the "Robert Johnson Building" File for Demolition Permit
By Robert Wilonsky in News You Can Actually Use, ActuallyMonday, Jan. 12 2009 @ 3:28PM

Unfair Park has learned that Glazer's Distributors -- owners of 508 Park Avenue, the building in which Robert Johnson recorded 13 songs that changed the music world -- has filed with the city a permit that would allow them to tear down one of the most historic structures in the city of Dallas.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/01/blues_for_508_park_ave_owners.php

Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=508+park+avenue+dallas&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&layer=c&cbll=32.77817,-96.7936&panoid=oqYPSIZTv4_znygz6gsQ9Q&cbp=12,87.51008820036821,,0,-2.5887579840763512&source=embed&ll=32.77811,-96.793585&spn=0.033629,0.054932&z=14&iwloc=addr

[drycreek]

Ridiculous. This better not happen.

[sterling]

This is typical of Dallas' inability to deal with anything that is not shiny and new. And of course, it's not as if anything will be built there in the current economy. So... parking lot or weed garden. "Ah - sweet relief. Another Dallas controversy solved with a day of bulldozing".

[Milkman Dan]

Perhaps this is Glazers way of forcing the city's hand to deal with the Stewpot / homeless problem in that area. Without something greatly changing that area and the vagrant issues, there really is not much that can be done.

For some reason I feel like I've seen this property on Loopnet or Costar before, but I can't find it now. I am curious how much they are asking for it.

[aygriffith]

If I remember right the city is fining Glazers because of the condition of the building and also that Glazers has tried to sell the property for years but never been able to get anyone to bite for a reasonable price due to the area. They were saying its just easier to tear down the building other than to continue to be fined.

I remember a DMN article from awhile ago where a Glazers rep went over all of this and he didn't have kind words for the city's new homeless shelter that I guess is very close.

[TheMapman]

This is typical of Dallas' inability to deal with anything that is not shiny and new. And of course, it's not as if anything will be built there in the current economy. So... parking lot or weed garden. "Ah - sweet relief. Another Dallas controversy solved with a day of bulldozing".

Not everything, no matter how historic, can be saved. Some buildings are way past their sell-by date. The cost of renovation far exceeds the return on investment.

Also, again, the reason Dallas has an "inability to deal with anything that is not shiny and new" is because there is no obvious, powerful proactive organization fighting to save these structures. The same pattern repeats over and over:

1) Building owner files for demolition permit
2) Permit is approved
3) Some blog notices and files the usual "Dallas can't focus on anything but the new" complaint
4) Some people act outraged and stomp around with clenched fists
5) The building gets demo'd

Cities that save more buildings have citizen groups that are more pro-active about preservation. And even then they're lucky if they win a third of their battles.

[cowboyeagle05]

Plus our historic groups usually end up approving demos cause the property might get developed thus how we end up with more parking lots than actual development.

With building the cost to renovate is not really the problem it is the Homeless is the problem. Glazers can not use or sell the building to anyone for anything unless they get rid of the homeless who will not be leaving that area even with the new City Homeless shelter. The soup kitchen is right across the street and that's not going to close just so the community can save a historical landmark in national music and blues music history. Its impossible circumstances, really the only solution is some wealthy guy/girl comes and and agrees to prop things up indefinitely until something changes in the area. Why would anyone go on if there is no promise for a better tomorrow. If that soup kitchen were to announce it would be closing in a year things would be better for paying the penalty but not expecting that to happen.

Too bad the building is not in any sort of condition where it could be moved like old farm houses get moved to Old City Park.

[freewaytincan]

This is typical of Dallas' inability to deal with anything that is not shiny and new. And of course, it's not as if anything will be built there in the current economy. So... parking lot or weed garden. "Ah - sweet relief. Another Dallas controversy solved with a day of bulldozing".

Think Dallas has it bad? Come on down to Houston, I'll show you how bad it can be!

[Milkman Dan]

Its impossible circumstances, really the only solution is some wealthy guy/girl comes and and agrees to prop things up indefinitely until something changes in the area.Isn't that what the Glazers have been doing for decades? It was only under Leppert's new plan targeting certain properties did they decide to demo rather than keep getting popped with fines / code violations / etc.

Can anyone find information on the asking price?

[downtownguy25]

Much like apt complex that fester crime and can be held liable for the negative vaule I think these soup kitchens should be held to the same standard, along with clubs and bars. If you are detracting from the area you should be forced to clean up or act or pay.

[NThomas]

Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=508+park+avenue+dallas&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&layer=c&cbll=32.77817,-96.7936&panoid=oqYPSIZTv4_znygz6gsQ9Q&cbp=12,87.51008820036821,,0,-2.5887579840763512&source=embed&ll=32.77811,-96.793585&spn=0.033629,0.054932&z=14&iwloc=addr
Wow. Look at the foot traffic... I always thought Farmers Market was void of people...

[Justin Terveen]

:censored:

Horse pucky, buggery bollocks and so on...

Can't we just get rid of the homeless instead?

Send 'em to Plano, nay, Frisco, maybe? No?

But seriously, I'll be sick if/when we lose this one...

Such a shame...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/369815726_3930ec6314_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/369815726/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/369916988_ea359431c2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/369916988/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/135/369916985_e0d93ba0bf.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/369916985/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/369916982_687faae913.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/369916982/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/369916981_2c5dc873e1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/369916981/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/369916992_c97f324fd5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/369916992/)

[tamtagon]

^sick pics -- Ninja the homeless photos you've shared on this forum are outstanding.

I not sure why Dallas admins & POlice don't relent and let the hobos to reform camps in the woods, away from the people, in a nice secluded part of the Great Trinity (reclaimed) Forest. Give me a break, ground and isolation are far more comfortable than concrete in the middle of town.

That's architecture to save with or without any notable history.

[Justin Terveen]

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/theurbanfabric/Skidrow_Panorama1-1.jpg (http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/theurbanfabric/?action=view&current=Skidrow_Panorama1.jpg)

It would certainly help alleviate some of the pressure brought on by the above mentioned 'activity'... I'm sure we'd find some other irreversible excuse waiting in line, though...

And thanks - glad you've enjoyed them! Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near as brave/stupid as I used to be, so shots like the above are few and far between these days..

[SDORN]

Nice shots Justin Yes I agree as we get older I think we get les sbrave and stupid. Thats a good thing !!!

[dfwcre8tive]

Preservation Dallas Media Alert, posted on http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/01/last_week_while_working_on.php:

Historic Downtown Art Deco Building Threatened with Demolition.

Much to the dismay of Preservation Dallas and the preservation community, an effort to demolish the City of Dallas Historic Landmark 508 Park Avenue is currently underway. The organization fears that demolition will be the fate of other important downtown buildings, many of them of great historic and cultural value to the city

At Issue:

A demolition permit for 508 Park was sought following a recent code violation sweep in downtown in which 36 vacant and/or underutilized historic and non- historic properties were targeted for code citations and threatened with litigation. Despite the City's good intentions of furthering revitalizing efforts in downtown, the code violation sweep will likely lead to these ham-fisted remedies. We recognize that while some properties owners are at fault for letting their facilities fall into a state of disrepair, other owners are seeking to either sell their properties or are working diligently on a plan to rehabilitate them. But in these difficult economic times, the City's actions may force many property owners to consider demolition. Preservation Dallas contends this code violation campaign will result in the loss of many significant Dallas historic buildings.

In response, Preservation Director Katherine Seale said, "Many of the buildings targeted by the City include just the kind of historic buildings that have attracted and now house new retail and residents to Dallas' downtown core. Losing historic buildings that have the potential to add economic and social value to our city and replacing them with parking lots will a complete loss. Once these buildings are gone, they are gone forever."

"The City seems to believe that vacant lots, particularly in central Dallas, would be an improvement over these existing and often historic buildings. Although they are treating this as a code enforcement issue, vacant lots aren't a quick fix," said Seale. One has only to look at the 'dead zone' at the west end of downtown between the Earle Cabell Federal Building and the County Courthouse complex for evidence. This area, the result of demolitions dating from the 1960s, is a major impediment to the Convention Center connecting to the core of downtown Dallas, and it isolates the County buildings. Those historic buildings that are no longer there would have been good candidates for redevelopment; they would have offered opportunities for residential and commercial uses in the western portion of downtown- a stated goal of the City's. As it turns out, the walk ability of this sector of downtown Dallas is dismal at best, and not something the City should encourage or pursue in the rest of downtown.

Building Information/508 Park:

508 Park Avenue is located two blocks east of Dallas' City Hall. It was built in 1929 as the Warner Brothers Film Exchange and served the movie theater district on Elm Street. Designed in the Zig-Zag Moderne style that was popular at that time, 508 Park Avenue is one of the best and one of the few examples of this style of architecture remaining in Dallas today.

On a historical and cultural level, the building is significant for its unique musical heritage - it was associated with many giants in the industry for several decades. By 1937 Brunswick Records was leasing space from Warner Brothers for their regional distribution center; it was there that Mississippi Bluesman Robert Johnson (1911-1938) reportedly made his last recording. His June 1937 recording session yielded 11 records released that same year and some of his most recognized songs including "Stones in my Passway." Johnson is often considered the "Grandfather of Rock and Roll", influencing musicians such as Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck and Jack White. Eric Clapton proclaimed Johnson, "the most important blues singer that ever lived." Johnson died in 1938 (within a year after his final recording session at 508 Park) and was posthumously inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Additionally, producer Art Satherley, one of the leading talent scouts for country music in the 1930s and 40s (inducted into the Country Music Hall of Music in 1971), famous record producer Bob Wills (inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968), and legendary producer Don Law (inducted into the Country Music Hall of Music in 2001) later recorded in this building.

The current owner of the building is Colby Properties, who have owned the property since the late 1950s.

Historic Designations

The property is included in the City of Dallas' Harwood Historic District and is a contributing building in the expansion of the Downtown Dallas National Register of Historic Places District.

Preservation Dallas is one of the most respected non-profit preservation organizations in the country. With more than 35 years of experience, the organization's success and longevity is due to its strong advocacy efforts, noted educational programs, and technical expertise. Our mission: to advocate for the preservation and revitalization of Dallas' historic buildings, neighborhoods and places in order to enhance the vitality of our city.

FACT SHEET

Why Demolishing Historic Buildings is a Bad Idea:

1. Vacant spaces in urban areas are not cool: This hearkens back to the failed urban renewal policies of the 1960s. When Dallas' downtown buildings are demolished, they become parking lots. "The average life of a parking lot in downtown is more than 30 years", states Larry Hamilton, chief executive of Hamilton Properties, a real estate developer who has successfully renovated several downtown historic buildings including the Davis Building, the Dallas Power & Light Buildings, and the old Fidelity Union Life Insurance Towers, now Mosaic. Vacant lots are an impediment to further redevelopment efforts in downtown. Vacant lots do not make downtown more livable. Nor do vacant lots provide a context for downtown. They are eyesores. A building, however, has potential for re-development.

2. Where do Dallas' downtown residents live? 5,000 people live in downtown Dallas and almost all of them live in historic buildings rehabilitated for residential use. In most cases these now successful buildings were in worse shape than the buildings now targeted by the city. A few examples of successful rehabilitations of historic buildings that were once candidates for the wreaking ball include the Awalt Building, Hart Furniture Building on Elm, the Harlan Building on Cadiz, the Interurban Building on Jackson Street, and the Stone Street Garden area including 1520-1522 Main and the F.W. Woolworth Building on Elm.

3. Demolition isn't green: The 'greenest building' is one that already exists. The reuse of existing buildings is one of the highest forms of sustainable design. Demolition wastes natural resources. This includes both the building's construction materials, the energy used in building them, the energy used in destroying them and hauling away the debris, not to mention the horrible result- another acre of pavement in downtown. Demolishing older buildings, particularly older ones with asbestos, runs counter to green initiatives.

4. This brings up a related point: Demolition isn't cheap. In the case of older buildings with asbestos, it's rather expensive. Who's going to foot the bill?

5. The economic climate couldn't be worse. No one is lined up for development deals. Building owners are hard pressed to start new projects. Why demolish these historic buildings now?

6. Alternatives Provide a Better Answer:

* Right now, there are few, if any, development incentives downtown. Wouldn't it make sense for the city to identify/assist with funding new resources and to work with concerned citizens and groups to find alternatives?
* "Mothballing" is a common means of protecting historic vacant buildings. According to the National Park Service, this process is "a necessary and effective means of protecting a building while planning the property's future, or raising money for a preservation, rehabilitation or restoration project. If a vacant property has been declared unsafe by building officials, stabilization and mothballing may be the only way to protect it from demolition."
* To address the city's concern regarding neglectful property owners, the City should strengthen and proactively pursue the Demolition by Neglect section of the enabling Dallas Historic Landmark ordinance. Destroying historic buildings due to the City's code violation drive does damage to the original intent of the initiative as well as lasting damage to Downtown Dallas.

[Ersatz]

^sick pics -- Ninja the homeless photos you've shared on this forum are outstanding.

I not sure why Dallas admins & POlice don't relent and let the hobos to reform camps in the woods, away from the people, in a nice secluded part of the Great Trinity (reclaimed) Forest. Give me a break, ground and isolation are far more comfortable than concrete in the middle of town.

That's architecture to save with or without any notable history.


OR better yet, pick them up and deliver them to the new fancy 40 million dollar Homeless Shelter. That was what all that tax money was supposed to be for wasn't it?

[freewaytincan]

OR better yet, pick them up and deliver them to the new fancy 40 million dollar Homeless Shelter. That was what all that tax money was supposed to be for wasn't it?

Can't take them there against their will.

[clipper]

There were wonderful deco metal light fixtures on both sides of the door which the metal thieves stole and had melted down. A terrible shame. As long as that area is "bum alley" there is no point in trying to restore-preserve-redevelop anything.

[Ersatz]

Yep. It's just like a dirty bomb went off there.

[Ersatz]

But are we sure there wasn't a Ticketmaster office right near there? Fleetwood Mac is coming to town.

[BigD5349]

Dallas building where legendary Robert Johnson recorded could face wrecking ball

10:30 PM CST on Friday, February 6, 2009
By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News
myoung@dallasnews.com

For two incandescent days in June 1937, a fresh-faced man from Mississippi settled into a stuffy warehouse at 508 Park Ave. and laid down 13 tracks that would help to make him a legend.

Of course, that fame wouldn't come till decades after Robert Johnson's death the next year at age 27. But those who heard his blazing guitar and haunting voice would never forget the way he possessed the blues and the way they possessed him.

When Johnson's old Vocalion 78s were repackaged in 1961 for an album titled King of the Delta Blues Singers, a new generation of fans – including the Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin – discovered the propulsive power of his music and the heart-rending emotion of his words.

But even as Johnson's stature grew as blues legend and rock 'n' roll inspiration, his makeshift studio in downtown Dallas gradually slid into obscurity.

Empty now for 18 years, the old Warner Brothers Film Exchange is down at the heels and boarded up, caught between real estate reality and a city plan to clean up blighted corners of downtown. Demolition is a distinct possibility.

Unlike other structures on the city's code-enforcement target list, however, 508 Park packs both musical and architectural significance.

Johnson's visit is the crown jewel, only the second and last recording session of his short life.

Western swing artists the Light Crust Doughboys may have recorded there on the same weekend in 1937 – the late Marvin "Smokey" Montgomery recalled a sweltering warehouse, where two fans blowing across a big chunk of ice provided bare relief from the heat.

Jazz giant Charlie Parker could have recorded at 508 Park as well, on April 30, 1941, as a member of the Jay McShann Orchestra. It would have been one of Parker's earliest recording sessions, when he was only beginning to work out the sound that would become the heart of bebop.

But while those are possibilities, the Johnson recording session – where he cut "Love in Vain," "Hellhound on My Trail" and "Me and the Devil Blues" – is a certainty, and enough on its own to make 508 Park an important place in the history of the blues, said Brett Bonner, editor of Living Blues magazine.

"You have to understand that with most blues recordings from the 1920s and '30s, the places where those recordings were made are gone, and there isn't much of our past that we're able to hang on to," Bonner said. "Usually, the things that happen in life are eventually bulldozed over."

That may be the case with 508 Park, whose owners, Colby Properties, have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a building Colby has been unable to sell – many say because it sits across the street from The Stewpot, where the downtown homeless are fed.

"I really don't remember how much we've spent over the years," said Jack Westenborg of Colby, an affiliate of Glazer's Distributors, the building's last tenant, "but it has been expensive with the taxes and other maintenance issues.

"And there's been an enormous amount of theft. People have stolen the lights off it and a lot of the copper inside. People have broken in numerous times.

"Sometimes, just to enter the building, we have to bring in security to watch the vehicles. So it's a very difficult situation."

It has been a difficult situation for years, with no signs of resolution. And that's what property owners find so frustrating, and why some consider demolition the only answer.

"We haven't applied for a demolition permit," Westenborg said, "but our counsel has been in contact with the Dallas city attorney's office to try and do the right thing that is in everybody's interest.

"But when you're in a situation like this, no one knows which way to go. You just don't see an end."

City Attorney Tom Perkins agreed that Colby Properties has made "a number of repairs" to 508 Park but has more to do.

"We hope we're able to resolve all of those without having to resort to litigation," Perkins said. "But that always remains an option.

"At some point, there will be a decision: Either we've made substantial progress in resolving the code problems or the city will need to take further enforcement action, up to and including litigation."

But with that threat hanging, and the homeless clients of The Stewpot spending parts of their days on the sidewalk in front of 508 Park – despite recommendations in city studies that services for the homeless be moved away from downtown – no one seems eager to buy the property, no matter what its historic or architectural merit.

And despite its hard-working roots – 508 Park was built in 1929 as a distribution center where film spools were ferried to and from downtown movie houses – its architects didn't skimp on style. The striking front entry is done in dark marble and cream-colored blocks with cast-stone accents.

"Despite its diminutive size, this is one of the best remaining art deco buildings in Dallas," said Willis Winters, an assistant director of the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, architect and co-author of The American Institute of Architects Guide to Dallas Architecture.

"What I particularly like is the zigzag moderne style. There are almost no zigzag buildings left."

It's a building with a lot of potential, too, Winters said, especially for studio businesses in art, architecture or design.

"The problem isn't the building itself – it's what's located across the street," Winters said. "And those poor owners are taking the full burden of that."

The Rev. Bruce Buchanan, executive director of The Stewpot, said the ministry "has historically tried to be a good neighbor" by providing the homeless with meals, jobs and a place sheltered from the weather.

"We do not encourage people to loiter outside," he said, "but this is a nonsmoking environment, and some of our clients do go out for a cigarette."

The Stewpot sweeps up litter left on neighboring properties and occasionally power-washes the front of 508 Park, Buchanan said.

While he sympathizes with the owners, he noted that the property's historic claim to fame is Robert Johnson.

"The irony is Robert Johnson had homeless roots," Buchanan said.

Preservation Dallas director Katherine Seale said Colby Properties responded quickly to the code-enforcement push by the city and made $200,000 in repairs, but the edifice faces an added huge expenditure after another inspection.

"They've really been forced into a corner," she said.

Joel B. Goldsteen, professor of city and regional planning at the University of Texas at Arlington, can only imagine the owner's frustrations.

"I'm a great believer that a city needs all the historic buildings it can get, and that any building that is old and has any design character whatsoever ought to be preserved," Goldsteen said. "In these financial times, everyone has to have patience."

On the one hand, the city has an obligation to ensure that buildings are safe and up to code. At the same time, officials need to understand the possible repercussions, Goldsteen said.

Author and historian Alan Govenar isn't so sure the city cares.

"The problem in Dallas is that aspects of the history are obscured by the push for redevelopment," he said, pointing to Deep Ellum as the most conspicuous example, where blues legends Leadbelly and Blind Lemon Jefferson performed on street corners.

"The property on Park raises bigger questions. At what point does the city of Dallas begin to recognize and celebrate its own history?" he wondered. "When is it perceived as an asset?"

WHAT'S NEXT
•Colby Properties has made many of the improvements needed to bring 508 Park Ave. into compliance with city codes, but Dallas City Attorney Tom Perkins said some issues remain. The city wants full compliance, Perkins said.

•If the property owners don't meet the code requirements, the city could file suit, with the possibility of fines of up to $1,000 a day per violation.

•Colby Properties has mentioned the possibility of demolishing the building but hasn't submitted an application yet.

•Because the building is in the Harwood Historic District, the city's Landmark Commission would have to approve any demolition work.

[ancientshoes]

the solution to this problem: move the stewpot

[cowboyeagle05]

the solution to this problem: move the stewpot
No politician is brave enough to touch that option. I mean not enough people in Dallas seem to care enough about the homeless or historical buildings to begin with then you want to put both of those issues against each other.

Here's how it will be put in the media, "Dallas kicks out the homeless to save a decrepit old empty building". Its too bad the new homeless center is overwhelmed and appears to be badly managed.

[gshelton91]

I thought the Stew pot was moving to the Bridge?

[mjblazin]

Only the meal service moved to the Bridge.

[cowboyeagle05]

So what services does the Stew Pot provide now?

(sorry I was up late typing that)

[mjblazin]

I don't understand the question. The other remaining counseling, medical, and legal services did not move to the Bridge.

[SDORN]

here are some I took today
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/6766/508parklane1up9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/508parklane1up9.jpg/1/w1024.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img510/508parklane1up9.jpg/1/)

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6263/508parkfs9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/508parkfs9.jpg/1/w668.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img412/508parkfs9.jpg/1/)

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9128/508parkcv8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/508parkcv8.jpg/1/w1024.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img12/508parkcv8.jpg/1/)

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/811/508parkddyp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/508parkddyp5.jpg/1/w683.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img150/508parkddyp5.jpg/1/)

[F4shionablecHa0s]

I don't understand the question. The other remaining counseling, medical, and legal services did not move to the Bridge.
...can I get some free counseling, medical care, and legal advice even if I'm not homeless?

Come to think of it, I could use a free meal, too.

[dfwcre8tive]

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/06/more_conceptual_its_not_actual.php

http://citywalktalk.blogspot.com/2009/06/508-park-robert-johnson-and-blues.html

[xen0blue]

Why don't they just open a recording studio in there again? Eric Clapton has already recorded there to say he recorded in the studio as robert johnson (with mobile recording equipment, apparently), I bet if the owners were to contact him about opening a permanent studio, he'd jump at the chance.

[BigD5349]

I was involved in an effort to do something with this building a few years ago. After beating my head against a wall for more than a year, I can tell you that all those concepts -- a studio, a blues museum, an arts center, etc, etc, have all been discussed and failed. For a long time, the owners were completely unreasonable. Now, they've essentially given up as well, and still nothing happens at this site. If you have to attract any crowds to make a buisness model work, then the stewpot is a tremendous obstacle, as is the location, which is hard for many people to find. It's a pity, because the site has a history that extends far beyond Robert Johnson. It's truly a historical gem in Dallas. Most likely, it will become an extension of the stewpot, or remain vacant for the foreseeable future.

[dfwcre8tive]

The Downtown Site Where Robert Johnson, Bob Wills Recorded Takes Its First Significant Step Down Path to Destruction
By Robert Wilonsky
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/08/here_we_go_again_--.php

...

Unfair Park has learned that this week, Glazer's Distributors and Colby Properties, the owners of 508 Park Avenue downtown, filed with the city a certificate of demolition that would allow for the razing of the former Warner Bros. Pictures storage facility in which Robert Johnson, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys and, possibly, Charlie Parker once recorded. When contacted this morning, Jack Westenborg, Glazer's vice president of operations, confirmed the filing with the city's Landmark Commission after "our architects and engineers prepared a study of the property," which is required for the demolition of buildings in historic districts. 508 Park Avenue is located within the Harwood Historic District.

...

[Justin Terveen]

Please...Angela....somebody....ANYBODY.

[tamtagon]

What a waste.

Blaming the homeless is a complete cop-out.

[NThomas]

What's the plan for the site after the building is gone? Another parking lot?

[aygriffith]

This end of DTD will end up as sea of vacant parking lots until the city figures out its homeless problem... which is a much greater problem on that end of DTD.

[BigD5349]

What's the plan for the site after the building is gone? Another parking lot?

There is no plan. Just another vacant lot.

[Justin Terveen]

Well, what in the fack..... *starts counting bail money*

[Justin Terveen]

So, I stopped by the other Sunday to razz the locals and visit my endangered friend, 508 Park..... The usual suspects were wandering about...asking what I was shooting...to which I replied, "the building you're leaning against"... After I informed them that the owner had filed for a demo permit with the city, they immediately started badmouthing him... They were aware of the building's history, and genuinely seemed to care about it's demise...for reasons other than loss of shade. At any rate, they went on to state how the owner had just driven down the street with his "fancy opre music blarin'"...I guess in an attempt to wake them up...followed shortly by a DPD cruiser chasing them all off... They asked me if it was so bad that they sat there on the sidewalk against the building... I took one step up on my soapbox, but not before I quickly remembered where I was and decided it would be best to just leave it alone.

Click thumbs and see "All Sizes" for larger versions.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/3811202160_72f0ab4ecf_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3811202160/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/3810384403_08e06a3676_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3810384403/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3811198442_17953b1e89.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3811198442/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3811199184_8daab47da8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3811199184/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3557/3811199538_f2d7b17787.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3811199538/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3810383457_a58625d187.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3810383457/)

The dog that almost ate Snowflake...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3811200134_9638201aef.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3811200134/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3810384743_841b7b5930.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3810384743/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2519/3810381761_14bd66f211.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3810381761/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571/3811197852_4b1cd8d9a8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3811197852/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3810386051_7d19eda606.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjatune/3810386051/)

[BigD5349]

Great pics as usual!

[dfwcre8tive]

It's a very interesting building. All those windows would make for interesting loft floorplans.

[lakewoodhobo]

The owner might be on to something with his "fancy opre music blarin":

http://strangeobservations.tribe.net/thread/0c1f5a8f-90e9-4229-857a-1090d59296cb




By Lola Sherman
STAFF WRITER

January 5, 2005

OCEANSIDE – Bach and Beethoven might help clear transients from the downtown area.

Police Cpl. Scott Wright told a meeting of MainStreet Oceanside yesterday that classical music has deterred loitering elsewhere and could be tried in the courtyard of the Regal Cinemas movie theater complex on Mission Avenue.

Property manager Gordon Henry said later that police suggested he try playing such music over loudspeakers.

"It's being considered," he said.

Classical music has been used to deter loitering in places around the world, from fast-food restaurants to railroad stations, since 1985, when it was first tried at a 7-Eleven store in Canada.

In Trent, England, an Australian newspaper reported, four days of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9 in D Minor" drove squatters from a local park but prompted protests that city officials were being unsympathetic to the plight of the homeless.

Closer to home, Vallejo police officials have reported that playing Mozart and Puccini on loudspeakers cut nuisance crimes and loitering on city streets in half.

Mike Testa, public relations director for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, said loud music has cleared loiterers from a tunnel near the Old Sacramento tourist area.

It's not disturbing to pedestrians walking through the tunnel, he contended, but annoys anyone who lingers too long.

Drew Cady, general manager of the San Diego Symphony, said, "From my perspective, there's nothing wrong with classical music."

At the same time, he acknowledged yesterday, such music does send some people scurrying.

Cady said playing classical music to discourage loiterers "clearly works," although he was at a loss to explain why.

"It's just antithetical" to modern youths raised on rock, rap and hip-hop, he said.

The music that seems to do the best job of driving people away, Cady said, is baroque – music characteristic of Bach, Haydn and Handel.

Additionally, a Denver businessman told one newspaper reporter, "The arias by Luciano Pavarotti really drove them (loiterers) crazy."

Property manager Henry, based in Pasadena, declined to say how serious the transient problem is in front of the Oceanside theater complex.

The theater's general manager referred questions to Regal's Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters, which did not return calls seeking comment.

MainStreet members said they call police at least three times a week to complain about transients in the area.

Rick Wright, longtime downtown business leader, said the problem appears worse in the winter because the transients are no longer outnumbered by beach-goers, as they are during the summer.

Officer Wright reminded members of MainStreet, a nonprofit downtown booster organization, that unless transients do something illegal, they have the same right as anyone to be on public streets.

[dfwcre8tive]

^ The garage at Jackson/Harwood blasts classical music for the same reason.

[Justin Terveen]

I still like the idea of watering the streets like SF.