Preservation Texas is proud to announce plans to acquire historic "College Hill" in Tehuacana, Texas. Located 85 miles south of Dallas and 40 miles northeast of Waco, this 10-acre site is where Trinity University was founded in 1869 and is home to Texas Hall, one of the largest and most significant unrestored 19th-century buildings in the state. Situated in the Tehuacana Hills at the highest elevation between Dallas and Houston, the site was a runner-up in 1850 to be chosen as the location for the Texas Capitol.

This historic campus will become home to the Preservation Texas Institute, a statewide center for preservation education, training, research, and engagement. The restoration of Texas Hall and the development of the Institute will be the organization’s flagship initiative as it prepares for the Texas Bicentennial in 2036.

Facilities at the Preservation Texas Institute will include lodging, a commercial kitchen and dining hall, workshops, classrooms, exhibition galleries, a Texana library, a two-story auditorium, and a restored 1933 wooden gymnasium. The Institute will also benefit from its proximity to Bassett Farms, a 2,400-acre farm and ranch owned by Preservation Texas, located thirty miles south, which will serve as a field school for preservation, conservation, and archaeological programs.

The Institute will host residency programs for historians, architects, and preservationists; hands-on building trades and conservation training; and in-depth seminars, workshops and lectures on a broad range of topics including Texas history, architecture, material culture, cultural landscapes, preservation planning, and advocacy. Texas Hall will also house the future Preservation Texas Hall of Fame, honoring Texans who have made outstanding contributions to saving Texas’s historic places and unique culture.