(rshsdepot) Brownwood, TX

["jdent1_@_optonline.net" <jdent1@optonline.net>]

Harvey House work begins
By Chris Crews
Brownwood Bulletin
=20
Return for just a moment to those thrilling days of yesteryear, before the=

mass popularization of the automobile and a time when the pace of life was=

appreciably slower than that which we know today=2E

Walking into the Harvey House, adjacent to the recently remodeled Santa Fe=

Depot, one can almost feel the hustle and bustle of an early 20th century
train station=2E It=92s as if the muffled whispers of a hundred =93All Abo=
ards=94
still echo quietly off the walls of the old building=2E Now the ghosts of =
the
Harvey House can rest easier (or at least look forward to more company) as=

the renovation of the building originally erected in 1914 gets underway=2E=

The restoration should be completed by mid- to late March 2003=2E

Greg Dodds, president of the Brownwood Civic Improvement Foundation, which=

owns the building, said the renovation of the Harvey House was the
=93fulfillment of a vision=94 to rebuild an area of downtown that not so l=
ong
ago was decaying and decrepit and in danger of being torn down for safety
and aesthetic purposes=2E

=93We started with the Depot (renovation completed in 1998) and this
completes the rejuvenation of a blighted area of downtown Brownwood,=94 Do=
dds
said=2E

Dodds added the total funding for the project was set at $1=2E2 million=2E=
 The
current project includes remodeling of the first-floor dining room into a
boardroom for the Brownwood Chamber of Commerce, a renovation of the
upstairs area to include an office and museum for Brownwood=92s legendary
football coach, Gordon Wood, and a room remodeled to replicate a dormitory=

of the famed Harvey Girls=2E The upstairs portion will also have offices a=
nd
display areas for local not-for-profit organizations, Dodds said=2E A
multi-purpose pavilion is scheduled to be built in front of the building
during this project=2E

The remodeling was designed to retain the historical value of the building=

and provide a functionality for the present=2E Dodds was one of about a do=
zen
contractors, engineers, architects and other interested parties who were
doing a walk-through of the building Monday=2E A handful of construction
workers tarried about with sheet rock and other building materials=2E

With a low bid of $759,000, Waldrop Construction of Brownwood was awarded
the project as general contractor=2E In fact many of the subcontractors,
including Roberts & Petty, Dennard Electric, Wood Floor Restorations,
Prestige, G & G Striping Services and Lydick-Hooks, are also locally based=
=2E=20

Roberts & Petty President Dale Nix, said his company was serving as
mechanical contractor on the project and having local sources would
expedite the renovation project=2E

=93There are so many changes in a project like this=2E with=20
local contractors we can get a hold of the people we need to and call a
meeting, get everyone together and make decisions right away without
involving people from out of town who might be more difficult to get with,=
=94
Nix said=2E=20

Jesse Doyle, vice president and estimator for Waldrop Construction, said a=

historical restoration project such as this one presented some challenges
but his company was excited to be part of revitalizing the downtown area=2E=


=93A lot of the dimensions of the basic materials have changed=2E We are g=
oing
to have a lot of the woodwork done by custom milling to meet the old
specifications,=94 Doyle said=2E

Funding for the project was provided primarily from a $1 million federal
grant administered through the Texas Department of Transportation=2E The
grant required a 20 percent match by the BCIF=2E

Bryan Raschke, area engineer for TxDOT, and Alura Davies, also of the area=

office, are working closely with the BCIF and contractors to coordinate th=
e
project=2E Bob van Ermel Scherer of TxDOT=92s facilities management mainte=
nance
division office in Austin is providing technical assistance on the project=
=2E

The Harvey House, a hotel and dining facility built next to the Santa Fe
Depot in 1914, served fine meals and provided a comfortable place to stay
for weary rail travelers=2E The Harvey House concept was the brainchild of=

Englishman Fred Harvey, who worked in the railroad industry in the late
1800s and noticed travelers=92 disdain for bad food and poor service=2E

Both the depot and the Harvey House are considered classic examples of
prairie style architecture=2E=20

Other Harvey Houses in Texas include Galveston, Gainesville, El Paso,
Amarillo, Canadian, Houston, Cleburne, Dallas, Fort Worth, Rosenberg,
Silsbee, Slaton, Summerville, Sweetwater and Temple=2E =20


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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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