Sanctuary makes National Register of Historic Places

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    Nestled in the heart of Edna, overlooking the surrounding homes, stands a church. Most structures in Edna are far newer than the century-old building, which now looks much like it did when it was constructed in 1903.
    The Sanctuary, also known as the Allen Memorial Presbyterian Church, sat untouched and overgrown with vines for years until Harrison Stafford and Joe Hermes decided to spruce it up and open it for events. 
    Painstakingly, the pair restored the old building in persnickety detail, making sure to return it to its original beauty and not add any touches of their own. They took no creative license and made no changes to the original architecture. It needed to be just so to accomplish their goal of getting the old church on the list of the National Register of Historic Places, a goal that many reach for but few accomplish because the slightest change to the original architecture can disqualify a place. 
    On June 7, Hermes and Stafford saw their dream realized. After a tedious restoration, an arguably more tedious application process, and a meeting with the State Historical Commission in San Antonio, The Sanctuary was approved and will be included on the list, which is formal recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or archeological significance based on national standards used by every state. 
    “First we had to apply with the State Historical Commission,” said Hermes. “They serve as the nominating people to the National Parks Service.”
    Stafford and Hermes, while they love history and know a bit about it, were unfamiliar with application processes, architectural terms, and all the ins and outs of the paperwork involved with the process of registering a historical property. Thankfully, they had help in the form of a former member of the Texas State Historical Commission. Her name is Maria Pfieffer, and she helped them meticulously fill out all the paperwork.
    “She was so, so helpful in the application process,” said Hermes. “It was very complicated and very precise.”
    “Every subject has its vernacular,” added Stafford, “the language of the subject, and when you're making these applications you need to speak in architectural terms. It isn’t a brick building. It is gothic. Inside it is an Akron model, named after Akron, Ohio. We didn’t know these terms.”
    “All we knew was it was an old church,” Hermes laughed.
    In the end, their dream came to fruition, and the pair couldn’t be happier about it.
    The Sanctuary is the third Jackson County public structure on the list, along with the Texana Church at Brackenridge Park, and the Edna Theater.