Volunteers with a Boerne historical agency fear their service to a centuries-old building-turned-museum may be coming to an end.
Julie Gossell, president of the Boerne Area Historical Preservation Society (BAHPS), took her group’s concerns about the future of the Kuhlmann King Historical Complex to Boerne City Council recently, expressing her frustration over dead-end discussions with city and county officials in an effort to preserve the building and its historical artifacts.
Gossell said the city in 1970 signed a lease with BAHPS to create a museum in the Kuhlmann King House and Pioneer Kitchen, built in 1885 on a hill now referred to as “Historic Hill” in the 400 block of East Blanco Road.
BAHPS is “facing the very real possibility that our 54-year history in the community may be coming to an end,” Gossell said. “After years of neglect and indecision, when the city sold the former city hall building at 402 E. Blanco Road (in August 2023), the city sold away the access to our museum.”
While the former city hall building was sold to an outside commercial venture, the city’s Public Works Building next door was sold to Kendall County. As such, the city divided the properties so the Kuhlmann King structures would remain with the public works building — and the county — instead of being subjected to the commercial interests that bought the former city hall.
Chris Shadrock, Boerne communications director, Friday said the city has supported BAHPS by allowing it to offer public tours, though no formal agreement was ever established with the nonprofit.
“As the property owner, the city invested in critical maintenance projects, including foundation stabilization, roof replacement and lead-based paint removal throughout the years,” Shadrock said.
When the city listed the former public works building for sale, the Kuhlmann King Historical Com- plex was included in that transaction.
“During this time,” Shadrock said, “BAHPS proposed entering into a long-term agreement, which would have differed from the previous arrangement. Now that Kendall County owns the property, it would be at their discretion to work with BAHPS as it relates to the KKHC.”
Gossell said county officials in initially balked at the funding needed to maintain and restore the buildings.
“(The county) does not want us, nor do they want to deal with us, when they discovered the pressing preservation work needed to preserve the structures,” Gossell said, leaving BAHPS in what she called “untenable position.”
After a year of meetings and presentations with the county, “we have not secured a lease due to the access issue, nor was the museum budgeted money toward the badly needed preservation work on the house and kitchen.”
She told council it is imperative that the city be involved with Kendall County to find a solution to get the KKHC on a positive path to the future “before this treasure of a museum is lost to all,” she said.
“If we are forced to close, it will be an irreparable and devastating loss to the community.”
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