For Sam Monroe, community outpouring of emotion that was unleashed at Motiva’s downtown celebration this week was about more than merely rehabbing two old buildings.

The former president of Lamar State College Port Arthur said when it comes to image, Port Arthur — all of it — has suffered for economic ills that have visited downtown for some three decades.

“I can only speak from my own experience,” said Monroe, who spent his entire academic career at the two-year campus on Procter Street, leading it for four decades. “I had to budget more money than other two-year schools for advertising to convince people it was a safe environment.”

 

Downtown decline

That’s because the business decline and eventual decay along Procter Street, the downtown’s main artery, seemed to tell a story that became self-fulfilling: That people were moving for good cause, that downtown was not only emptying but also dangerous.

Monroe said the city enjoyed great retail success — “more retail than ever,” Monroe said, in its northern reaches, such as at Central Mall, along 365 and up and down Highway 69. But when people talked about the Port Arthur, Monroe said, they talked about the visible abandonment of downtown.

At the Museum of the Gulf Coast, which established an attendance record in 2018, Director Tom Neal oftentimes had to coax people downtown to visit, assuring them it was safe — although the museum sits next door to the police department.

So downtown revitalization, starting with the presence of two thriving office buildings — may convince people that the city as a whole is in better shape that it is perceived to be. An improved image, Monroe said, may a huge boost for the whole town. That image shift began this week, he said, with Motiva’s celebration.

 

Opportunity knocked

Travis Capps, the Motiva vice president in charge of the downtown office project at the Federal Building and the Adams Building, saw two empty buildings — with a potential for 150,000 square feet of office space — that were in better shape than some passersby might have suspected.

He said as early as last summer Motiva saw opportunities in the two buildings. Both were decrepit, empty since the ‘80s, but structurally sound. Engineers confirmed that early this year.

“We saw those buildings staring at us,” he said. The Federal Building, completed in 1912, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Adams Building, completed in 1926, is not, but the developers will seek that status before year’s end.

And, standing at the intersection of Fifth Street and Austin Avenue before Thursday’s downtown festivities, he pointed to the Motiva plant on the horizon.

“For us,” he said, “It was eerily obvious. Why build there when this is here?”

 

Under way

Interim City Manager Becky Underhill said Friday that workers were at the two buildings Wednesday, the day the sale closed. That’s because Motiva has an ambitious schedule to occupy the buildings by late 2021 — a two-year timeframe.

For Ron Burton, assistant city manager and head of the city’s Development Services, timelines for Motiva and others who may invest downtown mean the city itself must be ready with new infrastructure to accommodate contemporary projects.

He said city departments would regroup next week to discuss possible utilities and public works projects. City staff members will also meet with architects and the general contractor as well as with drainage district officials.

“You’ve got to look at street scaping, sidewalk improvements, utilities and easements,” he said. “We have to look at fiber optics — there will definitely be a need for that — and we must work with external utility entities.

“We want to make sure that what we do is coordinated. It puts us on a timeline but we need to work in harmony with one another.”

 

First, photos

These days, Haddon & Cowan, project architects, are reviewing any available photos of the buildings to determine what they looked like when they were built or nearer their heydays. Michael Cowan said they’ve already “curated” some photos, choosing those that will help with the design.

The Federal Building, he said, has a “neoclassical revival” style; the Adams Building, he said, doesn’t have a discernible architectural style. Nonetheless, he said, the building was important to the community and should meet Federal Register standards.

City Councilman Cal Jones said Friday that he’s hoping this week’s events will create some “spinoff” announcements and job creation downtown. He himself worked downtown as a boy in a shoe store. He remembers running errands at the Adams Building — it was then the World Trade Building — and the Post Office, located in the Federal Building.

“I recalled those days Thursday,” he said. “I was excited about the activity, reliving my childhood.”

 

Image shift?

More news may be coming. While Motiva and the city celebrated two buildings this week, Motiva has progressed on a deal for the A.E. Scott Furniture Store, located at the same intersection, and has discussed acquiring both the Hotel Sabine and the city Health Department buildings.

A private developer is talking about a shopping area adjacent to Motiva.

“This is huge,” Commissioner Michael Senegal, whose district includes the intersection, said of the development. “It was always on my Top 5 political bucket list.”

Monroe said it’s hard to predict what might happen next. But the likelihood, he said, is more good news.

“For downtown, it is going to be recognized, locally, regionally and even nationally,” he said. “Having it cleaned up and fixed up helps the image,” he said — everyone’s image.

Right now.

 

See also: Possible business district?: Motiva project promises additional development