A big battle is brewing in Fort Worth over a house that once belonged to a well-known educator with an elementary school, youth center and professorship at the University of Texas named after her -- Hazel Harvey Peace. Recently the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese bought Peace's house to expand Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School that they own next door. But some community leaders want to make this house a historic tourist destination or an outreach center. Peace lived in the house at 1103 E. Terrell Avenue for more than 50 years while teaching and mentoring students from I.M. Terrell High School during the civil rights era. "The Catholic Diocese had a long relationship Mrs. Peace," said Pat Svacina with the diocese. After Mrs. Peace passed away in 2008, the Diocese bought her home. Last week the diocese asked the Historic Landmark Commission for permission to tear the house down so they could expand. "The decision was made...go and demolish the home," Svacina said. "Because too many homes are abandoned in southeast Fort Worth and become real problems, and we didn't want that to happen." Others in the area don't feel the same way. "We maintain Martin Luther King's home. Obviously, that was history. This is history," said Andre McEwing with Southeast Fort Worth Inc. "I definitely want to see this home saved and not demolished." The diocese said they love and respect Peace's legacy too, but contractors have told them it will be expensive to repair the house. Fort Worth city council member Kathleen Hicks attended Our Mother of Mercy as a child, but she said she believes Peace's historic home should be preserved. "The city didn't put millions of dollars into this new facility down the street that is named after Mrs. Peace, the Hazel Harvey Center for Neighborhoods and then see her house be torn down," Hicks said. The Historic and Landmark Commission has delayed their vote on whether or not demolish the home so the community can work with the diocese on a solution.
