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I wondered where
the name came from. In an old article I discovered that "Redlands"
was the winner of a public naming contest. The winner
received $25. Does the name refer to the red iron ore visible on
dirt roads and in backyards? Red dirt certainly makes a lasting
impression on children's play clothes.
The Redlands'
life as a hotel was short-lived, sad to say. In 1919 it was remodeled
into general offices for the International-Great Northern Railroad.
It was the railroad that had propelled Palestine
into its Golden Age. Incidentally, it is said that Palestine
has preserved more lavish homes and buildings from that period than
any Texas city save Galveston.
The hotel served as railroad offices until 1956, when railroad operations
were relocated to St. Louis. (Once again St. Louis played a role
in the history of the building.)
The building
was vacated, left to suffer from vandals and weather. Twice it was
scheduled for demolition. When the second demolition contractor
discovered that the bricks were held in place with concrete instead
of mortar, he knew that he wouldn't be able to harvest the old bricks
intact. He walked away and the city sued him.
In 1975, Norman
Mollard, a Palestine native, eyed the facility whose ownership had
reverted to the city for back taxes. He bought it for a pittance
for his wife Jean and her brother Robert Laughlin from Houston
to renovate. The breath of life began to waft through the building.
It took twelve men three months just to remove trash from the floors.
Beneath the rubble were found pieces of a stained-glass skylight,
too far gone to reveal its pattern, so Jean designed a new stained-glass
insert for the opening.
Today the
Redlands houses 25 apartments including a luxurious top-story
penthouse. There are offices, a TV station, a radio station, shops
with a Victorian flavor, and a popular Chinese restaurant. Feasting
on huge golden shrimp dripping in sweet red sauce, I gazed through
tall windows at the old Gothic Sacred Heart Catholic Church across
the street. It is brilliantly white and stunningly beautiful. But
that is another story.
Time changes
things. As the Redlands has moved into this distant glory from its
original calling, starched tuxedoes have given way to perpetual
casual, but the strength and dignity of this house abide to all
who enter here.
January
2001
© Sandy Fiedler
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