Project Plans

Phase I (Land Acquisition)

Purchasing town site lots, acreage, existing buildings and out-buildings was the first step in the rebuilding process. Moore 's Store and N&B Feed store have been acquired by the Ben Wheeler Arts & Historic Foundation. Additional town lots (formerly old buildings sites) have been bought by the Foundation, together with approximately eight acres that comprise the stone-lined creeks' paths through the woods behind the old schools (see diagram).

Phase II (Restoration and Parks)

Schrickel, Rollins and Associates (SRA) (see attached) has been retained to provide landscape architecture, civil engineering and planning assistance for the project. With SRA's input, a plan that integrates historical building restoration and recreation, pedestrian and vehicular traffic, monuments bridge/lighting design and park-layout into a Downtown Plan (see Downtown Plan) has been designed. The preliminary plans prepared by SRA (see attached) have provided the Foundation with a blueprint that its artists, landscapers and builders can begin bringing to life. The park area has been extensively but carefully trimmed of underbrush and extraneous trees. The creek banks have been cleared to open to the public the amazing stone work. City lots have been graded and pads prepared for the authentic buildings being relocated to these sites. The first building has been placed adjacent to Moore 's store (see photo) and the second will be moved-in during the 2 nd week in August, 2008. The original bank building (1911) was located a mile outside of town where it was used for some sixty years to store cattle feed. The bank building, as are most others from that era, is of “box construction” built from 1x12” saw mill lumber. And it is still covered with the sheets of tin in an embossed brick pattern as the building is depicted, in an oil painting hanging in the current First State Bank of Ben Wheeler's lobby. The present owners of that historic building have agreed to donate it to the Foundation. The plan is to add structural bracing to the old bank building and move it alongside Moore 's store on the north. (The Van Zandt County Historical Commission has approved the submission of an application that will see a historical marker placed in front of this building). The 1911 bank building will be relocated in the fall of 2008.