Historic Downtown Bryan Earns National Designation

Downtown Bryan is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing generations of preservation efforts, successful revitalization initiatives and substantial restoration investments.

The National Register of Historic Places, administered by the National Park Service, is the official list of historically significant places worthy of preservation.

“Whenever you’re going through Downtown, it’s a walk through time,” said the city’s Historic Preservation Officer Allison Kay in a recent interview on WTAW. “When you take the stucco slipcovers off the outside of a building, it’s kind of like opening a Christmas present. You never know what’s going to be underneath, you get to see really neat things.”

The historic district encompasses 104 properties, including a range of architectural styles and several treasured landmarks, such as the Carnegie History Center, The LaSalle Hotel and The Queen Theatre.

In March 2023, the city was awarded a Certified Local Government grant from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to update historic inventory for a portion of Downtown Bryan and pursue the national designation. With assistance from a consulting firm and the THC, city staff surveyed properties, documented historic architecture and prepared the application.

“They were blown away by the amount of investment,” Kay said. “They were going on and on about how we’ve had successful preservation efforts and maintained the historic low-rise scale and mixed-use character of our Downtown. We know we have this great historical resource in our city, and I’m over the moon that our application was accepted.”

In addition to national historical recognition, benefits of the designation include potential eligibility for federal tax credits towards further rehabilitation of historic buildings.

“It’s just going to get better from here,” Kay said. “There are no drawbacks to being located within the district. Your name and your property are recognized, which encourages preservation and promotes tourism without a lot of additional oversight.”

Historic Downtown Bryan is also recognized as a Texas Cultural District, and the City of Bryan is designated as a Film Friendly Texas and Music Friendly Texas community.

To learn more about the city’s ongoing historic preservation efforts, visit the historic preservation webpage at bryantx.gov/preservation. To explore Bryan’s history, visit the city’s 150th anniversary website at 150.bryantx.gov.