Preservationists: unite at this special speakers’ event co-hosted by University of Houston’s Houston History Magazine

“Out with the old in with new” – not anymore! This issue of Houston History magazine and panel discussion look at ways people are doing preservation in Houston. Panelists focus on different elements of preservation, and they include:

· Minnette Boesel, Past Board President (2017-2024), The Heritage Society

· Ann Becker, President, Harris County Historical Society

· Tanya Debose, Executive Director, Independence Heights Redevelopment Council

· David Bucek, Chair Commissioner, Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission

· Mikaela Selley, Archivist, Museum Curator

Moderator: Dr. Debbie Z. Harwell of Houston History Magazine

Limited free parking is available in the parking lot behind the Kellum-Noble House at 212 Dallas Street, Houston, TX 77002.

You may enter the parking lot from Allen Parkway inbound or from the intersection of Clay and Bagby/West Dallas. Additional parking is available at the Heritage Clay Street Garage for a fee.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS & MODERATOR

MINNETTE BOESEL

With a background in the arts, historic preservation, and real estate, Minnette B. Boesel has been a leader in the enhancement of the built environment of Houston for decades. In the 1980s, when the city lacked any preservation ordinances, Boesel led efforts revitalize downtown and invested in developing the W.L. Foley building to show what could be accomplished with historic properties. She served as executive director of the Downtown Houston Association, founding director of the Market Square Historic District Project, and established a real estate company, Minnette Boesel Properties, to work with developers to save and reuse historic properties. 

Boesel’s contributions have been an integral part of the city becoming more interested in preserving its historic past — the city now has more than 400 designated and protected landmarks and numerous historic districts — as well as in its transformation into a major urban destination focused on culture and quality of life. Boesel has served as director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and a member of the Rice Design Alliance and Houston Arts Alliance boards, among others. She is a past chair of Houston’s Archeological and Historical Commission, an advisory board member for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and founding director of the Astrodome Conservancy.  She also supports related organizations such as AIA- Houston, Friends of the River Oaks Theatre, and Preservation Houston.

From 2020 – 2024, Boesel served as Board President for The Heritage Society at Sam Houston, Houston’s history museum, to help The Heritage Society survive a financial crisis and endure a pandemic.  Under her direction, three of the 10 historical houses at Sam Houston Park gained global recognition from UNESCO, and The Kellum-Noble House, the oldest house on its original foundation, received a Preservation Houston Good Brick Award. The Heritage Society is now thriving in new ways and continues to improve in all areas especially historical house tours and media attention.

Awards

  • 2019 - Texas Society of Architects’ Cornerstone Award recognizing outstanding contributions by leaders in the community that enhance the quality of life by elevating architecture and the arts, promoting the value of community, or preserving the natural environment.

  • 2022- Mayor Sylvestor Turner and the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission named a day (May 10) after her for all of her efforts toward Preservation. (see video)

ANN DUNPHY BECKER

Ann Dunphy Becker is the acting President of the Harris County Historical Society (HCHS), a member of the Harris County Historical Commission, and belongs to several genealogical organizations. She is the author of many books on Houston history, including "Houston: 1860 to 1900," "Houston's River Oaks," "Remembering the Shamrock," "Alfred Thomas Lucas (1862-1922)," "Gustave August Forsgard (1832-1919)," "The Houston Light Guard; Houston 1860-1900," "Aunt Mary's Scrapbook" with Sue Trammell Whitfield, and "A Chateau in Homewoods" with John P. Havens.

The search for details of daily life in Harris County's history has been her passion since the late 1990s. This interest was sparked by the discovery of a diary written by 'Nettie' Burke Bringhurst in 1869. She purchased a collection of ephemera, which offered a glimpse into early Houston through cartes de visite photographs of mid-19th century Houstonians, letters, documents, books, diaries and journals, as well as the research conducted on many early families.

In 2023, the Harris County Historical Society celebrated its Centennial (1923-2023) by honoring all past members with a birthday party and establishing an endowment at the University of Houston. This endowment, the Harris County Historical Society Award of Excellence, aims to inspire history students to invest their futures in studying Texas history.

TANYA DEBOSE

Tanya Debose is an activist, organizer and advocate for preserving African American history and culture. Debose is most known for her work in Independence Heights where she has deep roots as her great grandfather was one of the first pioneers to purchase land in what was to become the first African American municipality in Texas known as Independence Heights.

Based on her experience, Debose founded the Preserving Communities of Color Initiative that focuses on preserving historic communities of color by transforming them into inclusive communities and cultural destinations. The initiative consists of an annual conference and gathering of community advocates, leaders, scholars and elected officials. Additionally, the initiative provides support to historic communities of color connecting them with resources, tools and other support.

Debose participates in several national initiatives most notably, the Historic Black Towns and Settlements Alliance where she spearheads many media and engagement campaigns aimed at building awareness about historic black towns. More recently, Debose coordinated a national summit focused on building a national heritage corridor across multiple states. This corridor is intended to connect leaders across state lines and build awareness about the importance of “all black towns” and how they were created after the Civil War during the aftermath of racial unrest.

Her recent work is strategically focused on organizing Texas. Through her efforts she is creating a statewide consortium of heritage councils to serve as a catalyst for promoting the protection of African American history and culture in Texas.

Debose is an American Leadership Forum Fellow and has received many awards and recognitions for her work in the community. She is the mother of two and resides in Houston.

DAVID BUCEK, FAIA, LEED AP

David Bucek’s methodical yet inspired approach to creating innovative and sensitive solutions addresses the distinctly different challenges presented by the wide range of projects in his portfolio. In addition to the design and construction of award-winning and sustainable architecture, his expertise includes the restoration of historic buildings and the preservation of modern landmarks of the post-war heritage.

David’s ability to work out complex program requirements and align often-competing interests has earned him a national reputation for excellence. His portfolio includes residential, university, and museum work, including the preservation of Houston’s Contemporary Arts Museum, the Frame/Harper House the Menil House and Sengelmann Hall. He has received recognition for design from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Texas Society of Architects, Preservation Texas and AIA Houston. National publications and academic journals, as well as every major Texas publication, from Texas Architect to Texas Monthly and Texas Highways, have featured his projects as well as his successful and unflagging advocacy on behalf of Texas’ historic courthouses.

David holds a B.Arch from the University of Houston and an M.Arch from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. A champion of good design past and present, he has taught at the University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the board of Preservation Texas, AIA Houston, Houston Mod and as a commissioner on the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission. He and William Stern formed Stern and Bucek Architects in 1999, after many years of working together at William F. Stern & Associates Architects.

DEBBIE Z. HARWELL, PhD

Debbie Z. Harwell has served as managing editor/editor of the Center for Public History’s Houston History magazine since 2009 and taught Houston History and U.S. History in Honors since 2012. Her Houston History classes examine social, cultural, economic, and political history, as well as the city’s diversity through migration and immigration. Putting her public history background to work, Harwell also teaches classes in oral history methods and writing and editing for a history magazine. She directs students working on Center for Public History projects such as Resilient Houston: Documenting Hurricane Harvey and 100 Years of Stories,: Documenting a Century at the University of Houston. Harwell received her Ph.D. at UH in U.S. History, focusing on women in the civil rights movement. Her book Wednesday in Mississippi: Proper Ladies Working for Radical Change, Freedom Summer 1964 won the 2015 SAWH Julia Cherry Spruill prize for the best book in southern women’s history.

MIKAELA SELLEY, CA

Mikaela Selley is a native Houstonian with a decade of professional experience as an archivist specializing in the preservation of Hispanic and Latina/o heritage records. She is an Archivist and Program Manager for the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Project at Arte Pblico Press where she oversees the Periodicals in the US-Mexico Border Region, and archival collections.

Selley also works as an Independent Consultant offering research, planning, archival and exhibit design services for cultural heritage projects. Her most recent projects include a 23-foot-long historical timeline of the Fraga Family on display at Ripley House in the Second Ward. She also curated a major exhibition titled “A Civil Rights Milestone: President Kennedy Visits LULAC in Houston” that was on display last fall at the Heritage Society.

Prior to these roles, she served as the Hispanic Collections Archivist for the Houston History Research Center, a special collections branch of the Houston Public Library.