Langham House
In 1898, the Langham family built their home at 1561 Park Street. Their daughter, Ellen, married William French (son of David French, son of John Jay French) and they lived there for a time.
The house has been designated a Historical Cultural Landmark and is eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was facing demolition, but was donated by the owner, Ms. Brenda Wilridge, to the Beaumont Heritage Society.
The Heritage Society partnered with Beaumont Main Street’s Save and Secure program to move it temporarily to the corner of Royal and Park. It has been purchased and placed just one block away and restored.
Visionaries in Preservation
VIP is the community planning program of the Texas Historical Commission. VIP asks residents how they want their community to look and feel and provides the necessary tools to help Beaumont retain its identity and sense of place as it changes and grows.
Beaumont VIP Goals
Short Term Goals:
- Create the Beaumont 10 Most Endangered Historical Assets List
- Compile a list of underutilized historic commercial buildings and encourage appropriate development of the structures
- Initiate a marketing campaign to highlight the benefits of historic rehabilitations of commercial and residential properties
- Initiate the creation of new historic, cultural, and conservation districts and assess the boundaries of the current historic district
- Create a procedure to notify preservation groups of potential demolitions at initiation of process
- Initiate a campaign to encourage Beaumont citizens to take advantage of their historic, cultural and natural resources
- Investigate opportunities to create multi-income housing, loft and apartment living in downtown Beaumont
- Establish greater authority for local preservation groups
Mid Term Goals:
- Establish and expand financial incentives for preservation and property maintenance
- Review, revise and enforce city ordinances to support preservation and aesthetic goals
- Update Beaumont’s existing historic preservation ordinance to protect historic resources
- Investigate funding options for historic rehabilitation, including grants, low interest loans and tax credits
- Create illustrated design guidelines to encourage context sensitive new development and appropriate preservation work
Long Term Goals:
- Survey and identify all historical assets in the community, including commercial, industrial, residential, and religious properties
- Beautify the entrances, gateways and main corridors in Beaumont
- Increase community and organizational involvement in preservation planning and historic preservation efforts
- Implement economic strategies to revitalize downtown Beaumont and enhance the local business markets
- Identify Beaumont’s “Sense of Place” to establish a strong local identity
