Freddy Lessly, Gabe Parker &  Horace Groff check out the old bell that once hung atop the original Denison Educational Institute.

 Commentary

A $1.5 million question begs for correct solution.  It was actually in the mid-1970s when the demise of the old Denison High School building on Main Street was first discussed.

Then McDaniel Junior High, school officials made a decision that the building was to begin its end run as a learning institution. The last day of school in 1986, on a hot June day, I meandered about the old building taking it all in. We were told it was going to close for good that year. I remember being shooed out of the building and as I awaited my ride home; they actually put a chain and a lock on the door.

Twenty years have passed and time took its toll on the building. Trees grew through the windows and water seeped into the majestic auditorium where it seems like yesterday I watched the “Nutcracker Suite” performed by a symphony and ballet group.

Fast forward to today. I’m standing on the corner of Armstrong and Main with my eyes closed and I can still see and smell the school building. It’s not like I have this scrapbook of memories and photos I drag out when I wax philosophic about the “good old days.” No, eighth grade is a tough time for many young students. A lot of people possess bully stories and the like from those days at McDaniel, so I’m sure they don’t really care much for that part of their past.

But the building, its history and all its secrets were solace to me as I sat through a boring history class or had to endure the spillover from a fight in the hall nearby. And whether you attended the school or not, it’s a part of the Denison landscape, for better or worse.


So, what to do with the building? That’s the million dollar question. Actually, it’s at least a $1.5 million question. But that’s whole other can of worms.

What the issue of the old building has been boiled down to is this: Save it or tear it down. But, as many have found, the issue really isn’t that black and white. If it was that clear, then the common sense thing to do would be to call a bond election and let the people of Denison decide.

Just as an aside, the original property the old school is set upon was donated to the city when Denison was still an infant and the city called for a $15,000 bond to build the first school. Which, as the historical marker on the current building depicts, is the site of the first free graded public school in Texas. When that building, first called Washington School, came down, the next structure was built with — you’ll love this — city bond money. So, I say there’s precedent to calling a bond to “do something” with that site. While that was a hundred years ago, it’s precedent nonetheless.

And speaking of a hundred years ago, newspaper accounts and editorials in the Denison Daily News and The Denison Herald showed that there was concern that certain wealthy, powerful individuals in the city were calling the shots. The term “good ol’ boys” was never thrown around in the newspaper, mind you, but this is how the commoners referred to this practice of the few holding sway over the many in small towns. To me, it’s the golden rule ... he who has the gold makes the rule.

I bring this up because since the 1990s, it had seemed that the blue-collar, old railroad town of Denison had grown up and shed this monocratic rule. Even the established in the community had gotten behind the “new energy” that came with the downtown revitalization. The city’s slogan even changed to “Small Town Big Art.”

I have always said that Denison’s heart beats through its downtown. To gauge the pulse of the city, you have to look no further than what’s in the shops downtown, who’s calling the shots on the various boards and committees, and what is the make-up of the city council and city staff. Keep in mind, even City Hall resides in a refurbished old downtown building.

Every publication bragging on Denison, whether it be from the Chamber of Commerce or the city or whatever, has a picture of or mentions the “Historic Katy Depot” in “beautiful downtown Denison.” And, for those who don’t know, it took one man and darn near all his expendable cash (C.J. McManus of “Dad and Lad” fame) to bring the historic Katy Depot back from decay and eyesore status.

I have heard countless Shermanites complain about the look of their downtown, where the heart of that city once pulsed strong, saying “we tore down all our old buildings.” Of course, the truth is many burned and were lost to condemnation or just plain forgotten about. Now, don’t feel too sorry for Shermanites as they can hang their hats on the bright and shiny new Town Center and Sherman Commons on the north side. The sales tax from that area isn’t too shabby either.

But, back to Denison.

The city doesn’t have the intersection of two major U.S. Highways to draw interest from big box retailers. A fact’s a fact, get over it. What basket do you put your eggs in then? Beg for retail? Search for an eclectic mix, such as that trying to happen on Main Street? Perhaps both can happen at the same time.

Travel writers across the nation agree that tourism in America is changing. The move away from touristy meccas such as Orlando and Las Vegas is seeing more travelers going for what’s called “regional travel.” In this case, Americans are going to other places in America to see how those people live. For instance, travelers from Southern California have gone in record numbers to travel the Northeast, seeking out lobster shacks in Maine and walking the Revolutionary War trails in Boston.

I’m not going to beat readers over the head with words such as “historical tourism,” because people don’t travel hundreds and thousands of miles to see an old building. But, Dallas is a serious destination for regional travel, and people want to see cowboys and longhorns and cactus and all the other stereotypes Texas is known for. In Dallas proper, the only cowboys they see are football players and the only longhorns they’ll interact with graduated from the University of Texas.

So, those regional travelers take day trips from Dallas proper, and McKinney is a popular stop for them. What does McKinney market for itself? It’s “historic downtown,” and its crown jewel — the restored old courthouse on the square. A concert hall by night, but a tourist mecca by day. And to think, about 10 years ago they wanted to tear it down to build a Walgreens (true story).

Now, to the point. Once the old Denison High School is torn down, it’s gone. Forever. Period. Save it or tear it down, that’s the question, huh?

Then leave it to that question. Make a set of goals and a dollar amount needed to begin the restoration and leave it there. Get an answer one way or another from the foundations about where they stand with the money they’ve given and/or want back. Get the building out of the city’s hands and let a non-profit go forward with the money that’s been given and pledged and be supportive of the effort. Take the personality conflicts and the nasty name-calling out of the process and think about what’s best for downtown and what’s best for the city as a whole. And, more importantly, take into consideration what the people want, whether that be through an election, straw poll, or whatever. Check the pulse.

Remember, the past is prologue. Look at the Katy Depot, McKinney’s Courthouse square, and what those in downtown Sherman miss from their landscape, and then think about the old Denison High School building.

Besides, who wins if there’s an empty, overgrown lot full of mustang grapevines and an unpruned pecan tree?

GARY CARTER is city editor of the Herald Democrat.