Editorial: Landmarks of Longview tour puts giant of city’s history in spotlight | Opinion
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Even if you’ve never heard of BW Crain Jr. if you live in Longview, you probably know the brick and steel legacy he left behind.
Crain, an architect who designed some of the city’s most iconic structures in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, is a behind-the-scenes giant in Longview history.
But an event this weekend aims to give Crain’s work a well-deserved spotlight.
Six of the structures he designed can be seen on the Landmarks of Longview Architectural Tour, which continues to this day.
Born in 1914, Crain left Longview to study architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, then earned his masters degree from Harvard University, according to the Gregg County Historical Museum. Crain’s burgeoning career was interrupted by World War II and he joined the Navy before serving in the Pacific.
After the war, Crain joined the Houston architecture firm Wilson and Morris and eventually became a partner.
In 1948, however, he returned to Longview, and Crain, who continued to work with his architectural firm in Houston, began to make a lasting impression on his hometown.
The structures that Crain and his company designed in Longview include the First State Bank Building, Longview National Bank, the Shrines of the First Baptist Church and Trinity Episcopal Church, the Petroleum Building, the Gregg Memorial, according to the historical museum Hospital and City Hall and Police Department.
Outside of Longview, Crain also designed the Frank Erwin Center on the southeast corner of the UT Austin campus.
He died in 1995.
Another legacy of Crain in Longview is the Crain Foundation, which was run by his wife, Ann Lacy Crain, until their death in 2015. The foundation has supported numerous efforts including the renovation and purchase of the Longview World of Wonders Tyler Street building for the nonprofit possible organization.
The Crains also bought the Everett Building on Fredonia Street, which houses the historical museum, in 1979 as a donation to the Gregg County Historical Foundation.
It is likely that Crain is one of many towering personalities in the history of our city, unknown to many of its residents. And that’s a shame.
It is local sons like him who built Longview’s permanent foundation.
The Longview Landmarks tour continues from 1pm to 5pm today. Stations of the tour are:
The Petroleum Building (now Alton Plaza Apartment Complex) at 202 E. Whaley St .;
The former Longview National Bank and Regions Bank building (and future home of the Longview Museum of Fine Arts) at 213 N. Fredonia St.;
The Gossum Home at 603 E. Melton St. in the historic Mobberly District;
Mrs. Barbara Thomas Pool’s house at 1111 Hillcrest Drive;
Trinity Episcopal Church at 906 Padon St .; and
First Baptist Church of Longview at 209 E. South St.
Tickets are $ 25 and can be purchased at any location on the tour. For more information, see gregghistorical.org/landmarks-of-longview.
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