‘A huge thing’: Downtown Tyler named city’s newest historic district

Published 5:45 am Thursday, July 14, 2022

Downtown Tyler has been named the city’s seventh historic district, providing an avenue for developers to receive more tax incentives.

“This is a huge thing for Tyler, not only because it provides an opportunity for us to showcase our historic character but continue to grow in the pride that Tyler has in preserving that aspect of our uniqueness,” Tyler Main Street Director Amber Varona said during a Wednesday ceremony on the downtown square.

The historic district was created May 21 by the Texas Historical Commission State Board of Review and will be entered into the National Register of Historic Places, according to the city.

The register is an official list of historic buildings, districts, sites, structures and objects worthy of preservation in the United States, according to the city. More than 90,000 properties are recognized in the register.

“I love what I see happening, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the future,” Tyler Mayor Don Warren said.

Five years ago, the city’s downtown was not what it is today, Warren said. As the area has developed, it’s common to see people walking around and enjoying everything downtown has to offer, he added.

“Anyone that knows me knows that I love downtown, and we’ve got a lot planned — a lot of vision, a lot of dreams — for the next couple of years downtown, and I just hope that we can make it all happen,” Warren said.

Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said downtown being named to the National Register of Historic Places is a “major” accomplishment for Tyler.

“This is looking back at our past and a present celebration, but then looking forward to the future to say what could this be downtown,” Moran said. “The core of who we are in this county is right here in this district, in this downtown district.”

The historic district designation offers opportunities for additional tax incentives to developers of historic properties, Varona said. This offers the ability to further revitalize downtown at a faster pace.

This new historic district is 68.9 acres within downtown, according to the city. That includes 19 blocks and 241 parcels between West Front Street to the south, Border Avenue to the west, the Cotton Belt railroad tracks to the north and Fannin Avenue to the east.

Included in the district are 133 properties with 95 of these contributing, according to the city. Twelve of these contributing buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Within the boundaries of the district is the largest collection of intact surviving historic resources related to the founding, growth and development of Tyler, according to the city.

“You can go to other cities, see a lot of new development, but you won’t find what you see in downtown … and so that is very very crucial in maintaining our identity,” Varona said.