A history museum in Kerrville?

This neoclassical house at 425 Water Street in Kerrville is known as the Calcott-Vann-Schreiner house and now serves as the Kerr Regional History Center. The History Center is a branch of the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library and is home to the Kerrville Genealogical Society.

UPDATE:  As of September 8, 2014, the Kerrville Genealogical Society is no longer associated with the History Center.

Architect Atlee Ayres designed the house for Whitfield Scott Schreiner, grandson of Capt. Charles Schreiner. Construction began in 1914.  The house was designed with ten rooms, each having four windows, making the rooms light and bright.  

In 1927 the Schreiners sold the house and moved to an estate west of town. City manager Sealy Cone then lived here several years before selling the house to W. W. Vann who in turn sold it to his son-in-law George Calcott.  The Calcotts were the last family to reside in the house. They sold the property about 1969 to the H E Butt Foundation which leased it out to non-profits.  Today the house is owned by the city of Kerrville and is dedicated to history, genealogy, and archives.

There has been much discussion of late within the local history community about establishing a museum.  Some have suggested buying the Comparette House and the old Tivy Hotel and establishing a museum there at the corner of Jefferson and Tivy Streets.  On the surface it sounds like a grand idea!  The Tivy Hotel could continue to be rented out for income for a while and the focus could be on the Comparette House.  However, the Comparette House has sat empty for several years and has been heavily vandalized, meaning it will be even more expensive to restore than it should be.  Many of us are worried about it. Some have talked about finding an angel to rescue the house before it's too late.  Wonderful if that could happen!  But, it would be very expensive to purchase the properties, make all the necessary repairs, and then maintain them.  Plus, volunteers and staff would have to be recruited.  A facility that large would demand full-time employees.

I think there is another, more realistic, alternative.

Kerr County needs a history museum, but we don't need to start with a grand Smithsonian-type facility. We would be setting ourselves up for frustration and failure.   Experts will tell you it is better to start small and then grow.   

The first floor of the History Center building is used for genealogical and historical research. The upstairs is used for storage, but is mostly empty.  I think the second floor of the Kerr County History Center would be an ideal space to start a history museum.  The large room upstairs could be an exhibit area and an adjacent sunroom a touch gallery for children.  Two of the additional rooms could be use for shared storage space by the genealogy society  and museum, leaving one additional room for expansion. There would minimal expenses because the house is already owned by the City of Kerrville, and there is already a dedicated set of volunteers keeping the house open five days a week.  The one obvious problem is accessibility. There is not yet a working elevator, however there is an elevator shaft with wiring, just waiting.

Consider that the Calcott-Vann-Schreiner house will be 100 years old in 2014.  Would it be possible to open a small local history museum here by 2014 to mark the building's centennial?

The Arcadia Theatre

Located at 717 Water Street, this is the iconic Arcadia, one of the most familiar buildings in Kerrville.  This historic theatre opened June 20, 1926. The theatre included a small stage and an orchestra pit with a pipe organ. 
Something not many people know is that the  Arcadia got its name in a contest.  Over 150 suggested titles were submitted by local citizens.  The name was picked from the list by a disinterested committee. William Toups was the one suggesting the name selected.  The Kerrville Mountain Sun reported that several individuals suggested the name “Arcade,” but Mr. Toups was the only one suggesting the name Arcadia. 
 In addition to movies, the Arcadia hosted live radio and stage productions in its early years. Notable entertainers such as humorist Will Rogers, singer Elvis Presley, musician Liberace, and comedians Bob Hope and Jack Benny performed here.
Agnes Colley, who was the organist at the First Presbyterian Church and the music teacher at the Scofield School for Girls, was also the organist at the theater during the silent movie era.
More than 1000 people jammed the theatre opening night--a large percentage of Kerrville’s population.
The two-story building originally sported a mission style exterior.  Most of the original exterior trim was removed when the Arcadia was remodeled in 1948.  This was when the neon-lit marquee and tower and burgundy tile were installed. 

The theater closed in January, 1988.  It is currently undergoing renovations.

This ornate lintel, visible above the Coming Soon sign, is a remnant of the original facade, shown below.

And who was William J. Toups?  He was born 1899 in Texas, probably near Corpus Christi. In 1930 he lived with his wife Hattie at 504 Lytle Street, Kerrville, and worked as a battery man at a garage. 

How it began

When we first discovered Kerrville and the Texas Hill Country in 1999, we were charmed by the beauty of the hills and the river. It was later we discovered the charm extended to the built environment.  There are hundreds of historic buildings, commercial and residential, all over these hills. By "historic" I mean buildings more than 50 years old.
We moved here two years ago, and last year I took on a project to research the history of the buildings in downtown Kerrville with the hope that it would lead to historic signage and walking tours.  That research project has now expanded to other places in the county.  My goal here is share my research.  More to come.