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Places of Color: Preserving San Antonio’s Underrepresented Narratives

Alazán Courts - the 1875 St. James AME Church - the Woolworth Building.

These sites relate to the underrepresented narratives of Black and Latino history - of San Antonio and Texas history. As monuments to the struggle for equity and justice, they need to be preserved to foster a better understanding of our collective heritage through the experience of place.

Our four expert panelists lead a virtual discussion of preservation efforts for these sites with an emphasis on civic engagement. Dr. Vincent Michael, the Conservation Society’s Executive Director, serves as moderator.

Dr. Sarah Zenaida Gould of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute speaks about the community’s efforts to preserve the Alazán-Apache Courts, a 1939-41 federal housing project on the Westside. Threatened with demolition, Los Courts made the National Trust's 2020 list of America's Most Endangered Historic Places.

Everett Fly, FASLA, a co-founder of the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, discusses the recently uncovered foundations of the 1875 St. James AME Church. The San Antonio River Authority will be looking for public input on how the foundations should be included in the design for the San Pedro Creek Culture Park.

Nancy Rankin, AIA: Principal with John G. Waite Associates, Architects, presents the key findings from the Waite report investigating the structure and Civil Rights history of the Woolworth Building, a 2020 World Monuments Fund Watch site. The State of Texas has not committed to reusing the landmark as part of the Alamo Museum planned for that site.

Dr. Antonia Castañeda, historian and prize-winning author, summarizes what is at stake for our community by examining the losses of La Gloria, Univision and the G.J. Sutton Building.

The 15-minute presentations will be followed by a Q&A session at the end. This Zoom event will be recorded and available for later viewing.

Jan 20, 2021 06:00 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)