Post Oak Preservation Solutions

05/07/2026

Next up in our What's Your Why? series, we hear from Megan, who shares about a family homestead in West Virginia. Megan writes:

"My preservation “why” is a rural homestead in West Virginia where generations of my family lived. To me, it is a physical embodiment of memory, and a place that points to the resourcefulness and resilience of Appalachian culture. The worn front steps of the farmhouse mark countless comings and goings. The fields and simple outbuildings tell the story of a family who farmed, built, and made almost everything they needed to survive. Even the property’s aged and weathered condition has meaning, reflecting the passage of time and economic shifts that ultimately drew my family away from the farm. Lastly, the homestead has had an enduring influence on me, teaching me at an early age to look beyond the physical “condition” of a building to recognize the deeper meaning and significance of a place."

05/06/2026

Kansas City, you were a good one. ❤️

Last week, our team of 8 gathered in Kansas City, home base for two of our own, for a few days of conversation, goal setting, reflection, and (of course) plenty of gab sessions. Between shared meals across the city, wandering neighborhoods, and soaking up places like Loose Park and Country Club Plaza, we made time to admire old buildings, visit Elmwood Cemetery, and spend an afternoon at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

We hugged buildings we’ve helped list on the National Register (hi Fire Station 11 + St. Stephen Baptist Church 👋), took new headshots, and enjoyed each other's company along the way.

Mostly, we’re just really grateful to be part of a team of smart, thoughtful, and delightfully silly people who genuinely enjoy spending time together. That doesn’t happen by accident, and we don’t take it for granted.

Next up for 2027: Fiesta in San Antonio 💃

05/04/2026

May is Preservation Month, and at Post Oak, we’re marking it by sharing the places that shaped each of our “whys.” Over the next few weeks, each member of our team will highlight a meaningful historic place, sites that ground our work in memory, connection, and purpose. These are the places that remind us why preservation matters.

We'll kick off with Post Oak founder, Ellis who says:
"My preservation “why” is the Merle & Ophelia Miller House, my grandparents’ home. Growing up next door, I spent nearly every day at my grandparents' home. Designed by Indiana architect Leslie F. Ayers as his final residential commission, the house is a deeply personal expression of two remarkable people. My grandfather, Merle, overcame a difficult early life to become a successful attorney and community leader, purchasing the land years before building a home that reflected his love of nature and ingenuity. My grandmother, Ophelia, came from Key West to Indiana and made her own stamp as an attorney and advocate. Together, they imagined a house that was practical, comfortable, and inventive: heated cork floors, walls of southern-facing windows, built-ins that minimized the need for furniture, and small, thoughtful details that reflected each person who lived there.

"The home’s expansive great room designed for gathering, music, games, and conversation, all at once made it the center of our family’s life. It is where we celebrated, mourned, and marked the passage of time; even my parents were married there. More than anything, this house taught me that architecture is not just about form or materials or style, but about the ways a place can hold people, shape relationships, and reflect our values."

Stay tuned to hear from the rest of our team!

05/01/2026

Today, as we kick off Preservation Month, we're feeling grateful for our team of smart, funny, nerdy, and kind preservation professionals.

We just wrapped up our annual company retreat which, this year, was held in Kansas City. Our team had productive meetings, tours of historic sites, yummy meals, museum visits, and plenty of yapping too.

Here is a sneak peek of our new team photo! Keep an eye out for updated headshots and team photos coming soon.

The whole team L-R
Back row: Clare, Rebecca, Megan, Alison
Front Row: Irene, Angela, Ellis, Rachel

04/20/2026

Rachel recently visited the Hynds Building in the heart of downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming, our first Historic Tax Credit project in the state.

Originally constructed in the early 1920s after a devastating 1916 fire destroyed the Inter Ocean Hotel on the site, the building was envisioned by philanthropist Harry Hynds as a “state-of-the-art” and completely fireproof office building. Designed by architect William R. Dubois, it opened to acclaim and remained Cheyenne’s premier office building for decades.

Today, it still reads clearly as an office building, complete with historic corridors, original office doors, and hand-painted signs marking former tenants. One of our favorite details: although it looks like finished wood, every door, frame, and piece of trim is actually faux-painted metal. True to Hynds’ vision, the entire structure contains no wood at all.

A building designed to be “impervious to fire and other perils” and still standing strong more than a century later. We're excited to be a part of its revitalization into downtown housing

04/20/2026

04/07/2026

Check out more images and information about beautiful Kokernot Field in Alpine, TX, which was recently listed on the National Register!

03/27/2026

JUST LISTED!
Kokernot Field is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. ⚾️

Constructed in 1947 by prominent rancher Herbert Kokernot Jr., the Kokernot Field quickly became a regional hub for baseball, hosting numerous significant events, including exhibition games, tournaments, and professional scouting camps. Kokernot Jr.’s values of loyalty, charity, love of baseball, and local pride are embodied in the materials and craftsmanship of the field itself as well as in the collegial culture of the Alpine Cowboys as an organization. Eventually attaining national acclaim, Kokernot Field was home to major league exhibition games and training camps and descriptions of its beauty were written in magazines and newspapers across the country.

In the mid-twentieth century context of racial segregation, Kokernot Field provided a space for ethnic integration through sport as it hosted famous Negro League players in exhibition games and its home team faced off against majority Hispanic teams in the southwest as well as Mexican teams from just across the border.

Kokernot Field is an outstanding example of a mid-20th-century semiprofessional ballpark, unique for its integration of local materials and its national reputation as one of the finest baseball fields in the country.

The nominated property also includes the H.L. Kokernot Junior Little League Field, a miniature version of Kokernot Field located immediately to the east.Historic site features, including wrought iron gates, stone walls, signage, rose garden, and stadium lights remain intact.

Kokernot Field is nominated to the National Register under Criterion A in the area of Entertainment & Recreation.

We had so much fun putting together this nomination on behalf of the City of Alpine.

Come out for a game this summer!

03/25/2026

We all started somewhere.

From dress-up, roller skates, and big imaginations to the work we do today—telling stories, saving places, and making history.

We’re proud to be a women-run team this Women’s History Month 💚

Can you guess who’s who?

03/09/2026

JUST LISTED!  Zim's Bottling Works and Tourist Park in Strawn, Texas, was just listed on the National Register of Historic Places!

Zim’s Bottling Works and Tourist Park in Strawn, Texas was built in the 1920s–30s by Marche Paul “Zim” and Stella Zimicki to serve travelers along the newly paved Bankhead Highway. As automobile travel boomed across America, places like Zim’s became essential stops for fuel, food, rest, and community. What began as a small bottling plant grew into a full roadside destination—complete with a gas station, café, dance hall, tourist lodging, and the family home. Using distinctive red brick from Thurber, Texas, Zimicki and his extended family constructed the buildings and site features. In addition to Zim’s technological and engineering work on the buildings and structures on the property, Zimicki developed numerous new inventions and gadgets in the property’s machine shop. He received formal patents for several of his inventions, including cattle guards, truck repairs, and gates. Even after their businesses declined, Zim and Stella continued investing in the property into the mid-20th century.

Zim’s Bottling Works and Tourist Park was nominated to the National Register under Criterion A: Commerce, reflecting the rise of family-owned roadside businesses during the golden age of American highway travel, with a period of significance: 1923–1962.

We are excited to be working with the property owners on a historic tax credit rehabilitation of the property!