Restoration of Longview historical home starts

Restoration of Longviews historical Judge J.N. Campbell House should start showing some visible signs in coming weeks, according to Lynette Goodson with Preservation Longview.

She and other Preservation Longview board members on Thursday afternoon met with representatives of Total Engineering Services of Longview and Kirk Acheson, project architect. While behind-the-scenes work of raising money, applying for grants and working with state historical preservation officials has been on-going, Goodson said visible restoration work has not taken place.

This is a momentous event, she said of Thursdays meeting. They should report back to us in two to three weeks with drawings and plans that well get to the city and the state but people should start seeing progress on the restoration later this summer.

Acheson said his firm is mostly working on the structural and mechanical engineering aspects of the project.

The house is basically in pretty good shape, he said after an inspection. A lot of the beams and timbers are in good shape. Theyll have to beef up the under structure and reinforce the floor joists on the second floor and do work on the foundation to keep it from settling more.

While the house on South Center Street is sound, he said the fact it is being re-purposed from a residence to public use and that building codes are much different, means a lot of work will be needed.

It has challenges with installing a sprinkler system, putting in HV/AC and new electrical, Acheson said.

The Judge Campbell House is an 1872 Victorian home with a history that dates to Longview's earliest beginnings. It is one year younger than the city and was home to several prominent residents, including the late Gregg County Judge James Nathaniel Campbell, the younger brother of a Texas governor.

The Queen Anne-style, neo-classical home became a Texas historical landmark in 1965 but has fallen into disrepair in recent years.

For information on the project call (903) 235-9087 or (903) 643-1155, or email lynettegoodson @yahoo.com.

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Restoration of Longview historical home starts