City of Big Spring Portfolio
Big Spring, Texas
In 2020, Big Spring, Texas envisioned a revitalized historic downtown and chose Architexas to develop a plan that would include the rehabilitation of existing historic buildings and reinforce the historic character of the city with directed public investment. In recent decades, Big Spring has seen a boom in certified historic rehabilitations utilizing state and federal tax credits, and the majority of these ongoing projects are being performed by our firm.
To streamline the process for local property owners downtown, Architexas utilized private funding to establish the Big Spring Downtown Historic District. Architexas conducted research of historical and current data sources to define a proposed study area for the establishment of the district. The project team then conducted a physical inventory of all of the properties within the study area to develop a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
Architexas is currently reconstructing other significant projects in Big Spring, including the Fisher Building, Hall-Bennett Memorial Hospital, and the Petroleum Building. Architexas was the architect of record for the rehabilitation of the Petroleum Building, the city’s tallest office structure, for use as class-A office space. Architexas preserved the highly ornamented lobbies of most of the original office suites, while added updated elements like the addition of a rooftop amenity deck overlooking the city.
The second project that Architexas picked up was the 2-part J. W. Fisher building at 106-108 S Main. Architexas is also currently restoring the exterior and interior of the historic Fisher Building on 1st and Main Street, using historic photographs as a reference to preserve the building’s unique historic character. Planned interventions include all-new structural systems, a new roof, code-complaint second egress stairs, sprinklers, MEP systems, interior finishes, and reconstructed historic windows and storefronts. When the project is complete, this collection of three buildings will have stores (mercantile or retail) on the first floors of all the buildings which will provide space for three separate tenants.
Outside of downtown, Architexas provided design and construction document services in 2022 to rehabilitate the abandoned Hall-Bennett Hospital, with the project going out to bid soon. Work includes the selective demolition of non-historic materials, restoration of historic site context, restoration of exterior masonry, restoration of historic doors and windows, integration of new MEP, AV, IT, security, ADA upgrades and complete finish out and restoration of the interior.
