57Tbird Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 This is a letter that Story Sloane, owner of Sloane's Gallery, wrote to the Chronicle recently. Some of you may have seen it. He gave me permission to post it here. Interesting! I think it expresses the concerns of many on this forum.Get History Museum With the city's 171st birthday close at hand, everyone's busy planning events to mark the occasion. We will be 171, but drive around town and you'd think the city was constructed in the 1980s.There has been much talk about preserving Houston's architectural history. Concerned citizens form activist groups and launch Web sites and with all the media attention, you might think something tangible was being done. But still the wrecking ball bounces! Perhaps the preservation of our great city's past is not always brick and mortar. How many Houstonians have shoeboxes full of local history that are headed for the trash bins?While working on a book in the '80s about Houston's history, I was given access to several historical archives whose wealth of history was amazing. I was also disgusted by how little of that treasure trove was accessible to the public. And unfortunately, the contents housed in the Julia Ideson library have suffered from more than six decades of political and philanthropical neglect. One good storm could cause catastrophic damage to its 3 million photographs and negatives. When these visual records of our demolished historical buildings are lost, all that will remain will be fading memories.The city needs a museum of its history and culture in order to educate young Houstonians to appreciate the city's fantastic history. We need a place to exhibit some of those "shoebox memories" and lighten the load for the underfunded and understaffed preservation groups. We need a place where all can go to be enlightened by the remarkable accomplishments of this great city: in short, a museum of Houston's history and culture. Where is Jesse Jones when we need him?STORY SLOANE IIIHouston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 It is unfortunate. For example, it should have been possible for the Bob Bailey photo collection to have remained in Houston. Is there any way something like this could be funded out of the hotel and car rental taxes? I realize they were dedicated to building new stadiums, but could the law be changed? Or is that just a fantasy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Great idea! To align it with the Houston ethos, let's tear down something old so we can build it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldHouseLover Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 I think that's an excellent idea. Long overdue.I agree! This would be a monumental achievement! I've not researched in the library recently, but when I did it was quite a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disastro Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Great idea! To align it with the Houston ethos, let's tear down something old so we can build it!BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!Hilarious! But true...Sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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