Tyler Residential Projects and One Tyler Resident are Nominees for Statewide Preservation Awards - October 2, 2004 By Laura Jett Krantz (Staff Writer) Four downtown Tyler renovation projects and one Tyler resident are nominees for statewide preservation awards. Heart of Tyler/Main Street Executive Director Kathey Comer announced the nominees for Texas Downtown Association 2004 President’s Awards this week. “The Heart of Tyler/Main Street appreciates the creativity and commitment of our downtown business and property owners and welcomes the opportunity to share these exceptional projects with the entire state,” Mrs. Comer said. Austin Bank, 305 S. Broadway Ave., is in the running for Best Commercial Interior. The bank opened its downtown branch erlier this year on the first floor of the Petroleum Building. The Houston-based firm SLT was selected to decorate the downtown branch. It took just three months to transform the long, narrow space into a state-of-the-art full-service bank. Dark wood cabinets and furnishings accent the slate floor and buttercream walls. Fabrics accented the shades of green and rose are used throughout the offices and common areas. White woodwork surrounds the interior doors and windows. “It’s good to be in downtown,” said Austin Bank Tyler Regional President Larry Bolton. “We are glad to now be able to meet the banking needs of downtown customers and offer them a full array of banking services.” Community Sprit Bethesda Health Clinic is a nominee for the Community Spirit Award. The clinic is designed to provide medical and dental care, counseling and health education for the working uninsured. The clinic opened its new, permanent clinic space near downtown Tyler in January. The visions for this clinic began when the former Skidmore Sundries building was donated to First Baptist Church and they leased the building to Bethesda for $1 per year. More than 32 Smith County churches now support the effort and everything at the clinic is donated. The building and its operations are funeded through gifts and grants, while the facility is staffed entirely by volunteers. Dr. Todd Raabe, the clinic’s president, said more than 20,000 people in Smith County could qualify for clinic services. “This clinic is in a lot of ways representative of what a community can do when it comes together,” Tyler Mayor Joey Seeber said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Adaptive Reuse Heines’ Penthouse is a nominee for Best Adaptive Reuse. Martin Heines, a local real estate developer, has created a home for himself on the top floor of the Austin Bank building near downtown in space that once housed radio station KTBB and the Petroleum Club. Plans started in December 2002 to transform the former office space and Petroleum Club with its commercial kitchen to a cosmopolitan living space. Demolition took two months. The building’s elevator was used to haul building materials 12 stories up. Anything that didn’t fit in the elevator was lifted to the top of the building with a 140-foot crane. Now complete the 2,300-square-foot home consists of two bedrooms and two bathrooms with curving walls and modern furniture. Upon entering the penthouse from the vestibule, there is a view of the balcony to the east and of downtown through the living room’s north windows. “Overall, it has been a very challenging project, yet satisfying at the same time,” said Heines, who acted as general contractor. Rehab Project Sports Zone Bar & Grill, 115 E. Erwin St., is the nominee for Best Rehabilitation Project. When owner Luis Licerio bought this former office building three years ago, the facade of the building was covered in faux rocks and maroon balloon awnings. Licerio decided Tyler lacked a sports bar and set out to create one, but the building needed updating. Tyler Mirror and Glass worked to create a wide-open ceiling beams were incorporated into the design. The wall plaster was patched and a new lighting plan created. Seven flat plasma television screens and one DLS projection system were installed. The basement serves as a commercial kitchen and office... …”These nominees showcase the best in downtown revitalization,” said Heines, Heart of Tyler/Main Street Board president. “The Main Street areas of emphasis – promotion, design and economic development – are well represented in the heart of our city.” State award winners will be announced at the TDA annual conference Nov. 10-12 in Bryan. Written in the Tyler Courier-Times Telegraph. << Archive