Brenham wins two Downtown Presidential Awards

Star Local Media
By Jason May j.may@brenhambanner.com
​​​​​​​Nov 4, 2022

In a press release, The City of Brenham announced that Brenham residents won two awards from the President’s Award Program at the Texas Downtown Conference.

“Winners for the 2022 President’s Awards Program were announced on Wednesday, November 2, 

at the annual Texas Downtown Conference in San Marcos. For over 30 years the awards program, sponsored by Texas Downtown, has recognized outstanding projects, places, and people of downtowns across the state.

Texas Downtown was established in 1985 and its mission is to provide members with resources, advocacy, education, and connections to develop vibrant districts.  The organization is an independent, statewide nonprofit that represents cities and towns of all sizes, economic development corporations, chambers of commerce, local associations, small businesses, and individuals.

Brenham brought home two awards: The Susan H. Campbell Award for Professional Excellence and the President’s Award for Best Renovation/Rehabilitation/Restoration.

The Susan H. Campbell Award for Professional Excellence was presented to Jennifer Eckermann, Director of Tourism and Marketing for the City of Brenham. This award was established to honor the legacy of Susan Campbell, a past president and board member of Texas Downtown. It is bestowed on downtown professionals who significantly impacted their city and participate in the larger Texas downtown community. 

Eckermann has dedicated 23 years of her career to the downtown profession. From June 1999 to June 2022, Jennifer has worked to support Downtown Brenham’s preservation and promote Brenham and Washington County and its rich history. Her vision and creativity foster unique ideas and programs, and her strong organizational skills are vital to recruiting, retaining, and engaging volunteers and supporters. Jennifer has initiated events like Local History Day and Step Into the Past to educate residents and visitors about Brenham’s past, while her support of downtown small businesses is unparalleled. Her contributions will forever leave her mark on Downtown Brenham. 

One hundred and twenty-nine entries were submitted in twelve different categories from communities across the state. The President’s Award for Best Renovation/Rehabilitation/Restoration for cities with a population under 50,000 was presented to BBA Architects as architects for the project located at 213 West Main Street in Brenham. The firm’s history dates back to the mid-1930s. Darren Heine, the current President and 35-year member of the firm explains, “This was a special project for our firm. My wife Dayna and I are the building owners. Dayna was tough, but a great client to work for. Her touches are felt throughout the building. We approached it at the outset from a stewardship perspective, being respectful in keeping the historic nature of the building intact to tell its story, while making sure we touched the historic building fabric lightly so that it could be adapted in the future as necessary and live on for another 100 years. We intended to take advantage of the State and National Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs as an example of how historic development can be a great business decision. The successful completion of the Tax Credit Programs resulted in a refund of 45% of the eligible construction costs in tax incentives.”

The award was based on the rehabilitation of the original 1925 Old Dick Tracy Tire Store building in the Downtown Brenham Historic District. The building was converted into a 2,400-square-foot architect’s office with co-working space. All local trade and craftspeople were used in the remodel, in addition to local material sourcing. The American Institute of Architects’ 10 principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence was also used as a guide in its redevelopment.”

At the council meeting on Thursday, Economic Development Director Susan Cates spoke highly of Eckermann. 

“Without Jennifer, we would not have the downtown that we have today,” Cates said.