Robert Smith, a lifelong Garland resident and a District 1 resident, has recently turned his attention to Downtown Garland in a big way. First, he started remodeling a row of buildings on Ninth St and then used one to move his offices from North Dallas.
 
Second, he recently bought the Nicholson Building on the square, which had stood vacant and boarded-up for years. Inside were only bare brick walls and a dirt floor — all the room necessary for dreams. As he moved through escrow, he was researching the history of the building through Michael Hayslip and the records of the Garland Historical Society. Mike combed through the Society's pictures to find early examples of the building's original design.
 
For the restoration details, Robert has worked with architect Ron Hobbs, whose own offices are Downtown in restored space above Dos Banderas Restaurant. Not as big as most of Ron's projects, such as the Atrium and the renovation at the Patty Granville Performing Arts Center, or the Waxahatchie Convention Center, or the Hurst City Complex, this project perfectly mirrored Ron's passions, too.
 
Robert has been searching as far away as Chicago for iron framework like originally fronted the store, holding the windows and door.
 
By taking his cues from century-old pictures, Robert really is taking the building "back to the future."
 
An article in today's Dallas Morning News demonstrates that Robert's efforts are not going unnoticed.
 

Garland developer will use old photographs to restore building from 1900s

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, June 8, 2008
By CHRIS COATS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
ctcoats@aol.com
 
Robert Smith opens the front door of the century-old building on downtown Garland's historic square.
 
A thick, musty, earthy smell leashes out from inside the hollowed-out structure of brick walls and dirt floors.
 

The nine-month restoration of the building at 107 Sixth St [left of Suzy's Quilt Shop] will help return the building to how it looked when it was built. When it's ready, the developer hopes to lease it as retail.

In its existence, the building was — at different times — a grocery store, a drug store, a meat market and a sewing store. It then stood vacant for 15 years, a local historian said.

"Every time I open the door I get excited," Mr. Smith said. "I can't wait to bring life to this tired old building. The possibilities of what we can do with it are endless."
 
Mr. Smith, a local property manager and developer, is beginning a nine-month restoration of the property at 107 Sixth St.
 
The 1987 South Garland High graduate, whose family goes back farther in Garland than the building, is using old photos to restore the building.
 
He plans to eventually lease it as retail.
 
"My ancestors had businesses downtown," he said. "I believe it's important to restore the buildings, but also the history behind them."
 
Local historian Mike Hayslip said the building was built around 1900. It started off as a grocery store, became Handley Drug Store, a meat market and a sewing store before being vacant for 15 years.
 
"I've worked with Robert on the history of the building," Mr. Hayslip said. "Having a building rejuvenated to its authenticity is a plus, particularly in a way that is useful."
 
Mr. Smith envisions a revitalized historic square fueled by the extension of Sixth Street past Walnut Street and the nearly $50 million investment in the city's downtown.
 
City Council member Laura Perkins Cox said Mr. Smith is a catalyst for downtown beyond the building.
 
When Mr. Smith noticed that three 30-foot poles on the square had substandard flags, he ordered and paid for new flags.
 
At his cousin's building on Ninth Street, he's replacing sign lights with circa 1940s fixtures.
 
"It's just the little details that make a difference," he said. "The city is very familiar with me. If I need something, I just pick up the phone until I get the right person."
 
Ms. Cox is accustomed to calls from Mr. Smith.
 
"I just close my eyes wondering what he's come up with next," she said.
 
Mr. Smith puts updates of the restoration on his Web site, www.garlandcitizenforum.org.
 
"What Robert is doing is wonderful," said Suzanne Cook, owner of Suzy's Quilt Shop next door. "He's bringing new life to downtown. It's the start of exciting things to come."
 
Chris Coats is a freelance writer in Richardson
 

Robert has shared some of his experiences with the remodeling on the Garland Citizens' Forum website, which he created and happens to be the administrator. Please visit for more pictures and reactions.
 
The changes underway in Downtown, the Trammell Crow mixed-use building, the Community College Campus, the extension of Sixth St across the DART tracks to Walnut, pending renovation of the old Police and Courts Bldg and the Public Library, redesign of the Downtown square, and efforts like Robert's, are why I refer to this as being Year One of the New Downtown.