Tax Credit Program Highlight: Pace House

Garland, Dallas County

1895

Designation	Listed in the National Register as contributing to the Travis College Hill Historic District
Historic Use	Single family home
Current Use	Rental house
Total Rehabilitation Cost	$7,450
Qualified Rehabilitation Expenses	$7,450
Date Certified	July 21, 2017
	Certified for state credits only.

History

The Pace House now sits on its third location, since its construction in another section of Garland. The house was given to the city in 1986 and moved from its original site to Garland’s Heritage Park, along with a second historic home, where it served as a rental venue. In 2013, the city proposed to demolish the houses to make way for new downtown apartments and a parking garage. Community members opposed these plans and the city ultimately decided against demolition. Instead, one of the houses was moved to another city park, and the Pace House was put up for sale to private entities. One of the city’s primary concerns in selecting a buyer was that the house be preserved in Garland. The winners of the bid process were selected because they already owned several historic homes on a small street not far from downtown Garland, utilizing one as their personal residence and the others as rental properties. The house was moved on to an empty lot and restored for use as a rental home.

The Pace House’s new owners had already pursued a local historic district designation for their street and had begun the National Register designation process. Although moved buildings are not often eligible for designation, they were able to add the Pace House to the district as a contributing resource because it was constructed in the same time period and in a similar style as other houses on the street.

Rehabilitation Project

The move and subsequent rehabilitation work was largely completed prior to the establishment of the state tax credit. However, smaller work items remained undone, due to budgetary restrictions. The property owners have taken advantage of the tax credit program to replace the furnace and condenser unit of their central HVAC system. Although this is a relatively small cost, the credit will assist them in completing other work to finish updating the house for use as a modern residence.