Posted 12:25 pm Friday, February 05, 2010
Mabry Honored For Architectural Work
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By CHAD THOMAS
Staff Writer
For his "unwavering dedication" to the revitalization of downtown Tyler in 2009, architect Ron Mabry received the Heart of Tyler, Inc.'s annual Brick Award during the organization's Thursday night meeting.
Staff Writer
For his "unwavering dedication" to the revitalization of downtown Tyler in 2009, architect Ron Mabry received the Heart of Tyler, Inc.'s annual Brick Award during the organization's Thursday night meeting.
The award is given each year to an individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional dedication to the reinvigoration of downtown Tyler.
In 2009, Mabry "stepped forward in his trade and gave us countless hours of volunteering," said Martin Heines, a member of the Heart of Tyler board of directors.
Arguably the most significant of his contributions to downtown development was Mabry's donation of his architectural services in the redesign of the building at 110 W. Erwin St. The building is now home to Gallery Main Street, the downtown visitors' center, and the headquarters for both Heart of Tyler and the City Main Street Department.
Mabry assisted in gathering in-kind donations of materials and services to complete the renovation of the downtown building, which opened in August.
Mabry -- the namesake of the downtown Tyler firm, Ron Mabry Architects -- also has overseen the design of the new Smith County Sheriff's administrative offices.
"(Mabry) is an individual that has been involved in downtown for not a huge length of time, but the impact he has had has been amazing," Heines told a crowd of about 50 people during Thursday's award presentation.
Despite the thunderous applause, hoots and hollers that greeted him when his name was called, Mabry stressed that the Brick Award honored the efforts of a number of people, not just his own.
"I received it on everybody else's behalf," he said, giving praise to business owners and downtown planners. "The hard part is putting together the opportunity. Connecting the dots is easy."
Mabry said Tyler is "about to explode" with development opportunities abounding in several parts of town. But he expressed his optimism toward the shared vision of the city of Tyler, developers and the public sector -- all of whom want to see Tyler grow with the same "conservativism and historical value" that have made the city unique, Mabry said.
"We're taking it a step at a time," he said. "And that's going to make this city great and make it a true destination point. It's really about social values. We've got to be able to control (growth) in a way that works with our values."
Receiving the Brick Award, Mabry joined a list of people and organizations that have contributed to downtown revitalization over the past three decades. Andy Bergfeld, Heart of Tyler board president, said Mabry clearly rose to the top and became an obvious choice for this year's award.
"He really is serious about seeing this revitalization downtown," Bergfeld said. "He doesn't just talk about it; he did something about it."
