Dickinson, Texas embraces masonry

Words: Rudy Garza/Public/News/20120926134500-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="Dickinson Public Library" />
Dickinson Public Library
The Dickinson (Texas) City Council has approved a State Highway 3 zoning overlay district that requires masonry exteriors throughout. State Highway 3 is one of the main north/south arteries within the Dickinson (pop. 18,680) city limits and, often, is referred to as Old Galveston Road, indicating its historic role of linking Houston and Galveston. Most of that traffic now uses IH-45, which runs roughly parallel to State Highway 3.

Dickinson officials envision a new pedestrian-oriented main street developing along and around State Highway 3. The city’s new brick and masonry City Hall and library are seen as the anchors for new development in the district. The Overlay District was approved by the City Council on July 24, and took effect on July 28, 2012. The district encompasses 275 square city blocks. The city’s official description of the Overlay District states:
“The purpose of the State Highway 3 Overlay District (“District”) is to support the creation of an area similar in look and feel to the late-19th and early-20th century historic main streets. It is not the intention of this District to duplicate history, only capture the essence of historical character and use. The architectural features are designed to support the desired type of construction. The District is intended to encourage special attention to architectural details such as building materials, colors, facades, windows, doors, roof lines, parapet design, and other elements used as references or inspiration in creating historical detailing for a building. The District seeks to transition the area from a vehicle-oriented environment to a pedestrian-oriented environment — creating a safe, walkable community. This purpose is achieved by providing regulation both in addition to and, in some cases, in place of, the existing base zoning within the State Highway 3 Overlay District.”
The Overlay District specifies brick and tinted concrete block as primary exterior materials throughout the district, and requires 100 percent brick or other masonry in the most visible areas of the district.

Dickinson Mayor Julie Masters says, “The development of the State Highway 3 Overlay District has been a collaboration of the Planning and Zoning Commission, City Council, and Dickinson Economic Development Corporation over the last year and a half, and it is the first Overlay District ever created in Dickinson. The Overlay District provides a guide for future redevelopment along Highway 3 that will, ultimately, create a pedestrian-oriented main street for Dickinson that takes it back to its vibrant past.”

The overlay district masonry requirements are similar to the requirements in Galveston’s “Design Standard for Historic Properties,” adopted earlier this year, which specifies brick as the primary exterior building material within the business historic districts throughout the city, according to Meg Belmontes, community planner with the Texas Masonry Council.

“Many historic Texas towns were shaped by local ordinances passed in the late-1800s requiring masonry on the exterior of buildings in their downtown areas,” Belmontes says. “These policies likely were a response to fires like the one in Galveston in 1885, which consumed 42 blocks and 562 buildings, before burning itself out. Initially constructed of wood and siding, most of the buildings were replaced after the fire with masonry construction. It’s not surprising that many buildings constructed under these policies are still standing and in use today — more than a century later.”

Research has shown that masonry requirements result in higher overall property values; growth in the tax base, lessening the tax burden on residents; continued population and housing growth, and no significant impact on affordability for either renters or buyers of housing.
 0
The Enduring Power of Structural Masonry
July 2025

Masonry has been holding its ground for millennia — literally. And thanks to the simple brilliance of arching action, it continues to do so with strength, style, and surprising efficiency. In an era of advanced modeling and fast-moving schedules, one time

Shayne Sanders
Read More
Outreach Outlook: Momentum in Motion
July 2025

As we move into the heart of summer, the masonry industry continues to thrive—fueled by innovation, partnership, and a growing commitment to excellence in education and workforce advancement. June has been a remarkable month, marked by events that not onl

Conner Birdsong
Read More
Building More: Slow, Fast, or Consistent. What is Tempo?
July 2025

It was a drizzly midweek day when I rolled up to the project we were working on just outside of town. The foreman paced the scaffolding, rain hood half-zipped, barking at two laborers who were sprinting bricks like they were late for a flight. Forty feet

Corey Adams
Building More
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Belém Tower
July 2025

The Belém Tower in Lisbon, Portugal, stands as a testament to stone construction's enduring artistry and technical prowess. Erected between 1514 and 1519, this iconic structure served as a defensive bastion at the mouth of the Tagus River and as a ceremon

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More