Farewell to the historic Robles House

As of the first week of the month, the question on the future of the long-debated historic Robles House came to an end.

The Landmark Commission granted a demolition permit at its Aug. 15 meeting, and the Galveston Historical Foundation and the East End neighborhood chose not to appeal the decision. The possibility of prolonging the demolition to benefit the preservation of the community’s architecture and neighborhoods seemed futile.

As a matter of record, the foundation made several attempts to purchase the house, as well as partner with other entities to acquire the property during the last few years. These were reasonable offers based on the actual value of the house and lot. Several important points come out of this public debate over this event:

• The preservation of Galveston’s history and architecture is not an impediment to economic growth. Our buildings and incredibly rich history are two of the things that make the island distinctive from other places. Informed visitors and planners, since the hurricane, stated that repeatedly.

Read the reports of the Urban Land Institute (two studies) that are available on the city’s website and a more recent release available from the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities on the University of Texas Medical Branch’s website.

Despite those studies and statements, several in the community labeled the Robles House dilemma as “preservation gone awry.” That is not the case. The preservation regulations within the East End have been in place for decades and the buyers were well aware of the restrictions and review processes that were required when they purchased the Robles House. The city did the right thing to uphold its regulations and require the property owners to comply.

• The Robles House simply was a poor business decision that became a community problem to resolve. Smart land purchases take into consideration the existing laws and regulations and they become part of a pro forma for a real-estate purchase.

Galveston’s relatively long and progressive attitude about preserving the past is a fundamental building block to our local economy. The vision of many early preservationists who began in the 1950s allows us to have a solid base, to build on the future in 2011.

Thanks to those early pioneers for looking beyond a quick profit and a city of parking lots. The preservation of our irreplaceable buildings in Galveston is key to our future economy.

Dwayne Jones is the executive director of the Galveston Historical Foundation.