Big Moves in Garland

Autumn Fest is the annual Fall Festival, Cowboy Round-Up, Fall for Garland, or whatever you want to call the annual Garland event. This year the Autumn Fest will take place at the Garland downtown square on Saturday, October 18. There will be vendors, music and a doggie Halloween contest. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative, finniest and scariest canine costumes. Should be a howl!

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On October 15 the Pace House was saved from demolition when the city of Garland decided to do away with Heritage Park, where it had been used as a venue for social events. Announcement of its planned demolition spurred a group of concerned citizens to form Preservation Garland, Incorporated in an effort to save the historic home, ca. 1918. Two other historic structures were located in Heritage Park and have been moved to make way for the apartment complex now under construction. The Pace House was ultimately given to Louis and Kay Moore, and moved to a lot they own at 317 S. Eleventh Street. For the past several months, the Pace House, along with the Tinsley/Lyles House, was stored on a trailer behind the Patty Granville Arts Center. The Moores intend to refurbish the house before putting it in use as a private residence. The Tinsley/Lyles House will be moved to a site alongside the DART tracks on Sixth and Walnut, next to the old Santa Fe Depot, which serves as the Landmark Museum. That historic home will be restored and used for educational purposes.

Garland’s Baylor Hospital is beginning to look like an antique mall! Since their merger with Scott & White last October, this nonprofit organization with over $8 billion in total assets, has decided there is more money in treating and providing services for the senior segment of our population than in serving the needs of our more junior citizens. Another corporate entity is going to be operating a long term care facility on the 3rd floor and a behavioral health wing to serve folks 65 and over has replaced labor and delivery. Obstetricians who formerly delivered babies in Garland are now sending their patients to Lake Pointe in Rowlett, Doctors Hospital in Dallas, Methodist/Mayo in Richardson, and Medical City in Dallas. According to Jane Cook, Baylor Garland’s COO, “a hospital must serve its community”. Really?

Those who travel Rowlett Road between Miller Road and Lakeview Parkway on a regular basis will have noticed a very curious looking edifice on the corner of Dennis Street. McKenna Place has taken on the look of an enchanted castle, with the artistic concrete embellishments that cover what was at one time two little wooden farmhouses. We have parked and walked around the place several times and are always pleasantly surprised by something new. For instance, notice the live rabbit in a cage and notice the inscription in concrete above it, “Rapeunzel, let down your hare”. There’s an antique car bursting through a concrete wall, and so much more to take in. On our most recent visit we noticed a sign reading, “Magic Fun House Coming Soon” and a phone number. When we called that number we received a voice message saying exactly the same thing!

The Garland Youth Council is responsible for the public blackboard on the State Street side of the Garland Civic Theatre building on the corner of Fifth. A building was razed and grass has been planted on the vacant lot to create a greenspace. Lucas Cervellini, a Garland resident who formerly taught art in Argentina, is the first artist to display his work on the blackboard. Cervellini hopes that other artists will follow suit, and take advantage of this opportunity to display their talents. With some added light and a couple of benches or some sort of seating arrangement, that corner would be a very pleasant place to sit down and focus on artistic creativity. The Saturday night gathering of musicians on the square can now expand to the now vacant lot, giving it an even more useful and artful purpose.

Homeowners whose properties surround the former Eastern Hills Country Club are concerned about development plans for the 190+ acre site. The property was auctioned off by the Bankruptcy Court and Victor Ballas is its current owner. Henry S. Miller has the property under contract and has approached Garland City Government with a plan for development. According to District 3 Councilman, Stephen Stanley, that initial proposal was rejected out of hand, due to density issues, which included 1,500 square foot townhouses.

The Garland/Rowlett Messenger welcomes two new local businesses to the list of sponsors of our annual Veterans’ Day event at VFW Post 5076. We’d like to thank the full service Holiday Inn on 190, and Matt Martinez Hacienda for their participation and LaBella Italian Grill for providing the food for the 2nd year in a row.