ACP wanted to tackle its first beautification project, have a place to host events, and encourage other non-profits and services to make use of the beautiful old building at 205 E. Sul Ross. (For many of us, this is "the old Sunshine House," but we're now calling it the Old Schoolhouse to avoid confusion.) The building belongs to the City of Alpine and was sitting empty at that moment, so we asked if we could move in in exchange for paying utilities and beautifying the front yard. We agreed on a contract and moved in in June 2025. Our lease is for one year, so this gives both the City and ACP the ability to adjust as necessary. Who knows, the City might decide on a way to make great use out of the Old Schoolhouse -- if so, ACP will happily move out, having made Alpine a little more beautiful at that stop.

Our beautification efforts are specifically focused on the front yard (although we can't help but work on the back yard too). There are some pictures below showing the progress since we started this summer. But also, since we've had meetings and events in the building, people have started wondering about the possibility of repainting or stripping the paint off of the brick exterior. 

Because we got so many questions about this possibility, ACP and Historic Alpine engaged two experts in historic preservation — Alayna Jordan of Alayna Jordan Architectural Restoration and Ellis Mumford-Russell of Post Oak Preservation Solutions — to come to Alpine to teach us how to properly deal with historic painted brick buildings. On November 8, 2025, they showed us several different ways to remove paint from old brick with the least damage, and they also told us what NOT to do. This workshop information is relevant for anyone who owns, or works on, a painted masonry building and wants to make sure the building lasts as long as possible. In short, we learned:

1. that whether or not the building is to be repainted or left unpainted afterward, the current paint has to be removed first,

2. that abrasive methods of removing paint from old brick will likely damage the surface, leading to a shortened building life and more frequent maintenance, 

3. that if the brick is repainted, a special, breathable paint should be used (not elastomeric, which holds in moisture and eventually dissolves brick), and

4. that several different methods of paint removal will be necessary because the paint is adhering differently to different sections of the building. Some of the paint flakes off easily with a scraper, and some remains difficult to remove, even with the chemical paint remover.

Here are pictures from the workshop on November 8, 2025, some video, and a document with details --