Old church, Cape’s Dam are up for commission consideration

The San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission will be discussing two high-profile issues on Thursday: the old First Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Drive and Cape’s Dam.

The owners of the church are asking the city to designate the building as a local historic landmark. The commission is set to hold a public hearing and consider the request Thursday night and hear a staff presentation on the church, which is the subject of ongoing renovation efforts. The church once served as a social hub for the Black community in San Marcos, hosting not only worship services but graduation ceremonies and civil rights meetings over the years. 

The significance of the church has inspired local organizations, led by The Calaboose African-American Museum, and individuals to begin raising funds and making plans to restore the building. Owners Konrad and Katherine Waldhauser have written a letter petitioning the commission for historic designation for the building. Their letter states that James Nolan, a historic preservationist who has worked to restore other old buildings, has called the church “the grandest African American church building in the State of Texas.”

The church is located in the traditionally African-American Dunbar neighborhood, which has been proposed as a cultural district. The Cephas House, where jazz legend Eddie Durham grew up, stands in the shadow of the church and has earned a state historical marker. 

City staff is recommending the approval of the church’s historic landmark designation. 

Council will also discuss and potentially consider the initiation of a petition to designate Cape’s Dam as a local historic landmark. The dam, which creates the mill race diversion from the San Marcos River, was built in 1867 and is a city-owned property that has been the subject of debate for years. Some want to see the dam torn down, calling it a safety hazard and a manmade structure that interferes with the flow of the river. Others want to see it preserved, noting the usefulness of the mill race channel for recreation and the historic and engineering significance of the dam as a remainder of early local industry. The city has put plans for the dam’s removal on hold. 

The site of the dam has received three state historical markers, and the National Park Service has said that Cape’s Dam is eligible for the National Register. 

The Historic Preservation Commission will meet Thursday at 5:45 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins St. 

rblackburn@sanmarcosrecord.com

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