William Hester knew preserving this history is important to the Longview community. He says they have a tentative plan to start construction of the motel this month.
LONGVIEW, Texas — An East Texas Black-owned business with decades of service, is getting a second chance at life after facing potential demolition by the city. Owner Audrey White says she’s found what she needs to keep White’s BBQ and Motel alive.
“I had a dream and a vision and now I can see it,” White said.
It’s a dream that White can now see clearly. The BBQ restaurant and motel, founded by her parents in the 1950s, is still running, but the motel has been closed for years.
“I’ve actually been trying for years to get someone that was a reconstruction expert that would come in and tackle this thing,” White said.
In October, Audrey received a court order from Longview code of enforcement saying she had to repair or demolish White’s Motel due to the dangerous state of the building. After facing setbacks, Audrey decided to demolish the motel, until the light at the end of the tunnel came.
“I am really glad that I did not tear this building down, also, right about the same time, within two weeks from the time that will came along, I got my historical landmark designation from the state,” White said.
The Texas Historical Commission has granted her an “Undertold” marker for both White’s BBQ and Motel for the impact this business has had on Longview’s Black community. These markers are used to address historical gaps, promotes diversity of topics and proactively documents significant underrepresented subjects or untold stories.
“As long as we’re seeing progress, you know, we’ll continue to work with her on getting that completed and getting that case closed,” City of Longview Director of Development Services Michael Shirley said.
White said it felt like fate as people came to lend a hand.
“It’s almost as if people were being sent to me at the right time,” White said.
One of the people who is helping her is William Hester, a storm restoration specialist with Advantage Roofing and Solar.
“I wanted to get involved. Took this to my team at work, and we started working on helping her,” Hester said.
Hester knew preserving this history is important to the Longview community. He says they have a tentative plan to start construction of the motel in February.
White has a couple of plans to bring this old school charm back to life by restoring the barber shop and record store.
“She’s the last living heir of this, and she’s not going anywhere. So, to be able to open this back up and offer it to the community, to let them take a step back in time and the history of this place,” Hester said.
White’s BBQ and Motel will be the first place in the city of Longview to receive this “Undertold” marker from the Texas Historical Commission.
