602 E. 8th St.

I wish I had a BEFORE picture of this house, because it was one of those houses that was in such bad shape, I would never dream of buying it. But someone did, and the transformation taking place is amazing. The first thing they did was clear out all the brush that was hiding house. Now you can actually see what it looks like! It has been repainted, and is now being remodeled inside. My neighbor, Paul, is helping with the renovations. This house is located just behind the big white Victorian house that was discussed in an earlier post.

The Old Sherman Hotel

Last week my husband and I went to the ribbon cutting for the newly remodeled Old Sherman Hotel at 1008 S. Main St. Cliff Hardesty and his company, ComProp Investments, did a great job on this remodel. This property used to be a huge eyesore in Old Town and now it is a beautiful commercial property just waiting for some new tenants. The building was originally built in 1924.

Foreclosed

This beautiful Victorian house on College Street apparently went into foreclosure and was recently purchased. Let's hope the new owners can take care of it!

Neighborhood improvements

Since the city passed an ordinance last year prohibiting parking on lawns, the owners of two houses on College Street have put in new driveways.

308 E. University

It looks like they are preparing to put a new foundation down on the property at 308 E. University. This was the site of a beautiful house that burned down several years ago. The columns from the original house have been saved in the front yard.

Demolition by neglect

A few weeks ago at work, I got a call from a man in Missouri who had heard a rumor that Southwestern had bought the house in Georgetown once owned by Civil War veteran John Coffee and was going to turn it into a museum.

I had to tell him there was no truth to the rumor, but the phone call got me interested in the house. I was able to locate it with the help of former Heritage Society President Scherry Chapman.

It is located at 1403 James St., which is near the big water tower in Old Town. One of the current owners, Jane Williamson, is a descendent of John Coffee, but apparently her husband has no interest in the old house. In 1997, they build a new house on the property. Meanwhile, the old house is overgrown with weeds, the roof is collapsing and there is a broken window in back, all of which are conditions that can cause a property owner to be cited for "demolition by neglect" according to Section 4.11 of the city's Uniform Development Code (UDC) which states that:

"No owner...of a property located in the Old Town Overlay District shall permit the property to fall into a serious state of disrepair so as to result in deterioration which would, in the judgment of the Historic District Planner and the Building Official, produce a detrimental effect upon the life and character of the property itself..."

There is a file with the history of this house in the Georgetown Library. Among its claims to fame: Sam Houston once slept there! It is a shame to see such historic homes being neglected like this. For more information on John Coffee, visit http://coffeecamp.org/bio1.shtml

The bridge to...

Biking through San Gabriel Park isn't going to be the same once the new bridge over the San Gabriel River is completed....I don't think these pecan trees are going to be with us much longer, either...