National historic district possible for Kilgore
By KATHRYN MARTINEZ news1@kilgorenewsherald.com

Photo by Kevin Green Fallon Burns, Kilgore Main Street manager (at left), along with Judy Garza and Gregory Smith , of the Texas Historical Commission, and Allen McReynolds, Society for the Preservation of Historical Gregg County (at right), took in the sites and details of downtown Kilgore's architecture, which features elaborate pediments, friezes and cornices.

"This would be an excellent National Register Historic district," Gregory Smith, of the Texas Historical Commission, said. "The historic fabric of the buildings are in tact and are extremely rich."

According to Allen McReynolds, of the Society for Preservation of Historic Gregg County, Smith, along with Judy Garza, also with the Texas Historical Commission, came to the region to meet with Longview officials about an historic district application the city is considering for the on-going Methvin Street project. McReynolds said the pair of Historical commission officials specifically requested the short trip from Longview to Kilgore, to visit downtown Kilgore.

"Longview's downtown doesn't have the same level of integrity as Kilgore's," Smith said of the downtown district. "It's fantastic."

According to Smith, if an area is designated as a National Register Historic District building owners could receive 20 percent savings in federal taxes that would ideally be used in the rehabilitation of buildings, back to their historic state.

Fallon Burns, Kilgore Main Street Manager, said she was encouraged by the visit.

"This is a big deal," Burns said. "Being on the National Register is great for tourism. A lot of people look for that when they visit an area."

Smith said he visited Kilgore a couple of years ago and was excited to return and.

In order to receive a Historic District designation the city must first become a Certified Local Government. In order to do this the city would have to adopt a local preservation ordinance for a designated area.

" We wouldn't designate the whole city," Burns said. "We would probably just start with the Main Street Area."

Council would also have to adopt an Historic Review Board.

"In most Main Street cities, that are a CLG the Historic Review Committee, is the Design Committee," Burns said. "Our Design Committee already serves as a review board; Façade Improvement Grants are based on historic attributes."