SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation kicked-off its first ever Rehabarama city event Saturday, helping several families with repairs in the Denver Heights neighborhood.
The preservation project gathered about 200 volunteers, including professional contractors, to help restore the historic homes.
Eighteen houses on Harding Place near Pittman-Sullivan Park got the upgrades for free.
Some of the restorations included windows, columns, and porch decks, as well as cosmetic things like small siding repairs, and a little fresh coat of paint.
Not only does it help homes spruce back to its original form, it also gives volunteers hands-on experience with repair techniques.
Some of the residents are calling the improvements the best Mother's Day gift.
"It's like a dream. I thought about it, while I see everybody doing this. I said, oh my God, in the morning, it's going to be Mother's Day, and look at the biggest present ever. Something I've always wanted, and could never do it, and it's getting done. I just feel like it's a blessing," said resident Alma T. Garcia.
"There's so much buzz and excitement going on, and all the hammering and the sawing. And it's just really gratifying to hear that happening and know how much impact this is going to have on the street in just one day," said Shanon Miller director of the Office of Historic Preservation.
Organizers say the estimated value of the free repairs is about a hundred thousand or more.
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