Restoration of Booth House lauded
The Taylor Conservation & Heritage Society’s fourth annual Marcella Schoener Award Reception next week celebrates a local businessman and his efforts to restore the town’s second-oldest house.
The event also spotlights Taylor’s 150th birthday being observed this year.
Real-estate developer Jared West will be the man of the hour at the 6-9 p.m. May 7 reception at the Taylor Mansion, 2109 E. Fourth St.
West is being recognized for his work on the Booth House, now known as West Mansion, at 2112 W. Lake Drive.
Tickets are $65 per person or $110 per couple and can be purchased through a QR code at facebook.com/taylorheritagesociety. org.
West bought and remodeled the Booth House, built in 1878, preserving both state and city history in the process, officials said. The house is designated as a Texas Historic Landmark.
“As a community, we need to recognize the people willing to invest real effort and resources in saving old places before they disappear. When a house is restored, it helps keep Taylor’s history visible,” society treasurer Mike Kaspar said in a press release.
Kaspar is chairman for the award reception.
The Marcella Schoener Award is named after former Taylor native and local historian Marcella Schoener, a member of the Taylor Conservation and Historical Society, which later became the Taylor Conservation & Heritage Society.
The award was established as a memorial to her efforts supporting local architectural and historical preservation.
Frances Sorrow, a local historian and president of the society, said the Dickey house on West Seventh Street is older than the Booth House. The Dickey house was built by Vernon and Mildred Dickey in 1872 before Taylor was incorporated in 1876.
In addition to the reception recognizing West and the Booth House renovation, the evening includes a silent auction with Waterford crystal and artwork, a performance of moments from Taylor’s history by the Stage Presence Players and a menu by Chef Peter L’Heureux featuring cuisine representing the different cultures that took root in Taylor.
The society’s mission is to bring together downtown participation, historic preservation and community engagement, members said.
To encourage public interest, the society has launched the “150 Years of Taylor Poster Quest,” an activity inviting residents and visitors to explore downtown businesses and search through 30 different era-themed posters tied to Taylor’s history.
Five or six of the posters have hidden symbols that will win the finder a prize.
Poster Quest cards are available at KINCL House of Antiques, 200 W. Second St.
Kaspar said the society wanted to get the community involved downtown and “thinking about Taylor’s past in a fun and visible way,” he said.
“
When a house is restored, it helps keep Taylor’s history visible.”
— Mike Kaspar
