April 29, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
409-765-7834 (o)
409-771-5105 (c)

Galveston Historical Foundation to Recognize Preservation “Heroes” at Sally B. Wallace Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony

(GALVESTON, TX) – Helping to preserve historic Galveston is one of the greatest services a person can perform in this island community. And on May 7, Galveston Historical Foundation will present special awards to people who have made outstanding contributions since January 2008 to the preservation, restoration and enhancement of the city’s buildings and neighborhoods.

The winners’ names will be revealed at the second annual Sally B. Wallace Historic Preservation Awards. The event will be held at 6 p.m., Friday, May 7, in the Ashton Villa Ballroom, 24th and Broadway.

The event is free and open to the public, all are invited to attend the ceremony to help honor people who have labored to help preserve Galveston’s incredible historic legacy through their vision and hard work.

This year, awards will be given in four categories: Rehabilitation, Adaptive Use, Craftspeople and Community Service.

“These awards are Galveston Historical Foundation’s way of saluting people who are helping preserve the essence of Galveston, investing not only money but also love for our heritage,” said GHF Executive Director Dwayne Jones. “People who win these awards are our heroes. They are among the many who steadfastly support GHF and all its programs designed to retain the historic integrity of Galveston.”

The awards are named after the late Sally Wallace, one of the driving forces behind the Galveston preservation movement for decades and a pivotal figure in saving the antebellum Ashton Villa from demolition. Wallace also was the founder of Hendley Market, one of the first major businesses opened on the city’s historic Strand as the downtown restoration movement began.

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While driving on the Strand one day in the mid-1960s, Wallace saw a crane operator swinging a wrecking ball against the Hendley Building in the 2000 block of Strand. She stopped and implored the man to “give me 15 minutes.” Wallace found the building’s owner and bought two sections of it on the spot. For a dollar a year, she leased one section to GHF for its offices and, in 1979, opened Hendley Market in the other.

In 1969, Wallace was elected President of GHF and was instrumental in the foundation’s restoration of Ashton Villa. Among many other achievements, Wallace worked to establish the East End Historic District and was among the early advocates of bringing the Elissa, now the official “Tall Ship of Texas,” to the city’s waterfront.

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For more information on the awards please contact GHF’s Matt Farragher at 409-765-3424 or at matt.farragher@galvestonhistory.org