BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont Main Street held a free tour Thursday evening to give Southeast Texans the scoop on downtown Beaumont.
The tour allowed developers, investors, entrepreneurs and residents the opportunity to look inside historic buildings and consider the possibilities of downtown development.
Beaumont Main Street is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the restoration and revitalization of Beaumont’s historic Central Business District, according to their website.
Downtown development has emerged as a key issue in the 2023 municipal election, taking place on May 6, 2023.
The nine-stop tour was done in celebration of May being National Preservation Month.
Director of Development for Beaumont Main Street Carol Gary hope this encourages people to consider what's possible at some of these special spaces.
"We're showcasing retail space with some potential housing, potential boutique hotel and event center of course the historical library, Jefferson theatre for entertainment and just really showcasing diversity of what you can do to rehab a building in downtown," Gary said.
The annual "Imagine The Possibilities" tour offered a look inside nine buildings.
The tour began at the Jefferson Theatre, then on to the Tyrell Historical Library, V. Blanchette Building, 300 Crockett Street, Nathan Building, Shepherd's Laundries Building, American National Bank, First City Bank and lastly, 434 Fannin.
The Jefferson Theatre was built in 1927 and is still in operation today.
Other buildings like Shepard's Laundries was built over 80 years ago and is currently vacant.
"I remember coming here and seeing this place working full speed everybody was just on a mission getting things done, folding, wrapping," said Beaumont resident Ines Alvidres.
Alvidres had family and friends that worked in the building.
"Now walking in and an seeing it empty it feels bigger than what it felt before but now the possibilities of what this could be is really exciting," she said.
Just a few blocks over, there's a new restaurant coming to Crockett Street.
Other plans include a possible coffee shop on Pearl Street and apartments in the Nathan Building.
All this buzz about downtown development has residents excited.
"These buildings have so much history," said Beaumont resident Carolyn Gaston. "Downtown Beaumont has been closed and shut down for so long an invitation to open up some of these old places is attractive to me."
Gary also announced an app called DISTRX.
The app will show users 43 historical buildings and will take you on a self-guided tour that allow you to learn about the history as you appreciate buildings from the outside.