Historic structures are being demolished daily across the country to make way for modern, new developments and buildings. While often a challenging endeavor, sometimes all it takes is a good brick, an experienced specialty contractor and a dedicated preservationist to save these important relics from the bulldozer.
Preservation Houston is working to save many of Houston’s historic structures. Western Specialty Contractors—Houston Branch was recently honored by the association with two Good Brick Awards in the Institutional Category for its exceptional efforts to restore the facades of Houston’s oldest fire station and a 1940s Gothic-style church in Woodland Heights.
Preservation Houston has presented the Good Brick Awards since 1979 to recognize outstanding contributions to the preservation, restoration and enhancement of Houston’s architectural and cultural heritage.
Award recipients are selected annually by a jury of community leaders, preservation and design professionals and previous award winners. The 2024 recipients, including Western’s Houston Branch for restoring Fire House Station No. 7 and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, were honored at a March 8 River Oaks Country Club dinner.
“We are so honored to have received a pair of Good Brick awards from Preservation Houston for our efforts to restore these historic and important structures of the community,” said Western’s Houston Branch Manager Brian Dolezal. “It’s nice to be recognized for our historic restoration skills and expertise.”
Restoring Fire Station No. 7 (The Houston Fire Museum)
Western was tasked with restoring the exterior of downtown Houston’s Romanesque-style Fire Station No. 7, which opened in 1899 at 2403 Milam Street. The fire station remained active until 1969, when the city built a replacement. It currently houses the Houston Fire Museum.
Western’s scope of work on the project included:
Project team: REPRACTICE, Tellepsen Builders, BMP Group.
Restoring St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
Completed in 1940 at 600 Pecore Street, the gothic-style St. Mark’s United Methodist Church is located in the historic Woodland Heights neighborhood. Western was tasked with restoring the historic sanctuary’s cast stone masonry and limestone exterior.
Western’s scope of work included:
Project team: Merriman Holt Powell Architects, W.S. Bellows Construction, CJG Engineers, W.W. Bartlett, Inc.
For more information about Preservation Houston and its Good Brick Awards, visit https://preservationhouston.org/awards.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in facade and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://westernspecialtycontractors.com.