She told me the [Butler School] had been torn down.

The Cortez family has stated that the building is not for sale. Whether or not the building is for sale, this should not influence the possibility of landmark status.

I went out there myself, and it was just a pile of rubble with some guys moving stuff around. It is disappointing. As long as something still is standing, you always can work something out to preserve it. We felt we were only a couple of weeks away from finding a place to move it.

I would have to think that signals got crossed somewhere between [the property owner] and the developer. I would hope it wouldn't be anything else.

I think that this is more real. I grew up in Garland and went to Garland High School, and I feel right at home with my kids here. I look at these kids like they are my kids. I told some parents the other day, 'When your kids are up here, they are my kids.' That the way I feel about it.

He didn't come from the academic cut of planners. He comes from more the school of hard knocks.