For Lifetime Achievement in Historic Preservation
As a high school student, Rex Todd saw firsthand the value of historic preservation in sustaining heritage, sense of place, and community identity when the Courthouse in his native Yadkin County was demolished, simultaneously desecrating the Town Square. Gone was the majestic centerpiece that had been their guardian as Rex and his little brother rode their bikes around the seemingly endless sidewalks.
Working in Raleigh after graduation from the University of North Carolina, as a community development consultant and partner in Planning and Design Associates, P.A., Rex saw the effectiveness of historic rehabilitation tax credits in financing downtown revitalization initiatives. Marshaling such resources pervaded his seven and one-half years as Director of Community Development and Planning followed by eight and one-half years as Director of Economic Development for the Town of Garner. There, Rex leveraged funds to rehabilitate over 150 older homes; helped establish the Garner National Register Historic District; helped relocate the historic 1910 Garner Depot to its original track-side location and, led the ten-year struggle to save and adaptively reuse Historic Garner High School. He also prepared successful nominations of two Local Historic Landmarks through the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission; and, laid the foundation for Garner’s Main Street Revitalization efforts that continue today.
Ten years ago, Rex re-entered the private sector as Vice President of Historic Properties at Regency Development Associates. In August of 2004, Todd Development, Inc. was formed, manifesting the purpose of his career as he affiliated with the Landmark Group in Winston-Salem. There, Rex has been instrumental in the development of nineteen affordable housing communities in VA, NC, SC, TN, GA and MS, thirteen of which are National Register historic schools, tobacco prizeries, textile mills, and manufacturing plants or headquarters.
Through this body of work, Rex has learned that the rehabilitation of historic buildings is greener, creates more jobs, and solidifies neighborhoods better than new construction. “Moreover, it’s part of our stewardship responsibility,” he is quick to confess. With this awareness, Rex continues to look for additional historic adaptive reuse opportunities through which to “protect, promote and educate” about, the enduring value of historic preservation.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2010 Anthemion Award to Rex Houston Todd for Lifetime Achievement in Historic Preservation.