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Richardson Historical Commission Proposal

By Dr. Steven Butler

Currently (as of August 2025), the City of Richardson has several advisory bodies which have been established by City Charter, City Council, or State Law. These are:

According to the City's website, these boards and commissions "are comprised of concerned citizens who volunteer their time, knowledge, and expertise to make a difference in their community. Duties of the boards may include serving in an advisory capacity, examining in-depth issues, making recommendations to the City Council, and making decisions on requests from citizens." As the City of Richardson's website goes on to say: "The work these citizens do assists the Council and contributes directly to the quality of life enjoyed by both residential and corporate citizens."

If you look at these lists above, you may notice that there is one commission that is conspicuously absent: A Historical Commission. This may explain why our city has not done as well in terms of historical preservation and promotion as some of our closest neighboring communities, most notably Garland, Plano, Allen, and McKinney. Currently, there is no organization in Richardson working to those ends. Not long ago, we did have a Historical society, but it became inactive, not just once but twice, and in large part due to a lack of city support.

But things are different now: We now have a mayor, Amir Omar, who believes, as I do, that historical preservation and the promotion of our city's history is important, not just because it's a nice thing to do, but also because it has the potential to enrich our city and its citizens both tangibly and intangibly. Both Mayor Omar and so far, one city council member, have assured me that they are amenable to the idea of having a city-appointed Historical Commission that would advise and make recommendations to the city council on such matters. I am confident that if asked, all our current city council members would be open to creating such a commission.

Why a Historical Commission would be better than a Historical Society, and why now is the time to form a commission: From 1970 to 2019, and again from 2022 to 2023, a private non-profit organization, known as the Richardson Historical Society, existed. For several years after it was founded, the society enjoyed the support of the City of Richardson, not financially but in terms of encouragement, cooperation, and the free use of city facilities, most notably the public library, for meetings, etc. Unfortunately, as the years passed by, that support eroded, until by 2019 it was practically non-existent. During the brief period, 2022-2023, when the society was briefly revived, its efforts to engage the administration that was then in office in a cooperative spirit were unsuccessful, which was one of the principal reasons it became inactive again.

As it stands now (mid-2025), we have, as I've already pointed out, a mayor who believes, as I do, that our city's history is important and that we need to find ways to bring it to light, to celebrate it, and if possible, literally make it pay, as some of our neighboring communities have done, much to their benefit.

We also need to act now because we have so little left to preserve. For decades, the prevailing attitude in Richardson was "if it's old, tear it down and replace it with something new." That's how we lost both our railroad depots, our interurban depot, and a great many fine old homes and commercial buildings.

Apart from the Skiles home in the west side of town, a private residence which dates back to the 1860s, all we have left to work with are a few pre-incorporation (before 1925) commercial buildings in the 100 block of East Main Street, some pre-incorporation residences (including the homes of two early mayors) on Huffhines Street, and Miss Belle's house, recently arrived in Huffhines Park. If we don't act now, Miss Belle's house may end up as all we have.

Unlike a historical society, a historical commission would be, in a way, part of our city's government, and therefore, regardless of who holds the office of mayor, would by its very nature carry a lot more weight and be taken a lot more seriously than an outside private non-profit organization.

I have been advised by both Mayor Omar and City Councilman Dan Barrios that if we wish to have the city establish a historical commission, we need to have a minimum of seven people willing to serve on such a commission and also be able to demonstrate community support for the idea. I have been told that if I appear before the City Council at a meeting, during the Visitor's Forum, to propose such a commission, and have at least thirty people people there at the same time, to show support for the idea, it is far more likely to be taken into consideration than if I just show up there on my own.

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN: If you are a resident of Richardson who thinks that historical preservation and promotion is important and that the City of Richardson needs a Historical Commission, I need to hear from you right away! Please drop me a line at docbutler@yahoo.com. Once I have the numbers mentioned above, we can all go to a City Council meeting where I'll make our case. I'm hoping this can be done sometime this coming September or October (2025).

Here is the "wish list" I have already presented to the Mayor:

• Officially designate old downtown Richardson as "Historic Downtown Richardson" and put up signage to that effect.

• Erect signage or attach plaques to historic buildings to inform the public as to their significance in the city's history.

• Paint a mural on the west side of the building at 100 E. Main, welcoming people to "Historic Downtown Richardson," with appropriate historic pictures, such as an old steam locomotive, an Interurban car, cotton wagons, interior and exterior scenes of bygone businesses, etc.

• Pass an ordinance making it unlawful to demolish or significantly alter the appearance of any building or structure in Richardson that is 75 years old or older without a public hearing and permission of the city council.

• Purchase the old 1898 Odd Fellows Building at 111 E. Main street, restore it to its orginal appearance, and use the bottom floor as a visitor's center and free meeting space for civic organizations, and the top floor (which was a city hall during the early 1930s) for a museum of Richardson history.

• Encourage the establisment of the sort of businesses that would attract more visitors to the historic downtown area, such as restaurants, galleries, antique shops, live theater or comedy clubs, and specialty shops of various kinds.

• Hold a regular street market in Walton's Alley once a month where vendors of various kinds could sell their wares or food products.

• Hold an annual festival celebrating Richardson's history in Historic Downtown Richardson, with music, dancing, carnival rides, fireworks, etc. In short, revive the community fairs that used to be held in Richardson in the past.

• Build a replica railroad depot on the site of the 1873 depot and use it as free meeting space for civic organizations, etc., such as the City of Allen has done. Perhaps also purchase and restore an old steam locomotive as Allen has done.

• Change the name of Fountain Park to Heritage Park and erect a bust or statue of Alfred Stephen Richardson, the city's namesake, there.

In addition to the above list, I think the establishment of a Huffhines Street Historic District, where the homes of two early mayors (Jess Harben and Kit Floyd) still stand, is also important.

Once again: If you are a resident of Richardson who thinks that historical preservation and promotion is important and that the City of Richardson needs a Historical Commission, I need to hear from you right away! Please drop me a line at docbutler@yahoo.com. Once I have the numbers mentioned above, we can all go to a City Council meeting where I'll make our case. I'm hoping this can be done sometime this coming September or October (2025).

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