This article is based on an abbreviated copy of the historical marker application by Catalina Cherñavvsky Sequeir, Preservation Austin intern.
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| Herrera House 1805 E. Third St. |
The Herrera Family Home
The modest house near the corner of 3rd and Chicon Streets was home to three trailblazing educators and activists in Austin for over one hundred years. The house was built around 1900 in the National Folk style, a design that was popular at the time.6 It is four bays wide with a cross-gabled roof, board and batten siding, a simple shed-roofed entry porch, and an L-shaped plan. This minimalist residential style was commonly built for and by working-class Americans. Prior to the invention of electric fans and air conditioning, wing-and-gable style houses like this one provided naturally cooling environments in southern climates.7 This style is seen in older neighborhoods close to downtown Austin.
Valentin Herrera and his wife, Josefa, originally from Mexico, moved into this East Austin home in 1911. Josefa would later operate a bakery out of the house, while Valentin taught and operated a local Spanish language school.8 The couple raised their seven children in the house. Two of them, Consuelo and Mary Grace, later became the first Mexican American teachers to work in the Austin Independent School District (AISD).9
Consuelo Herrera Mendez
Consuelo Herrera Mendez was born in 1904 in San Marcos, Texas and moved to the house on East 3rd Street with her family in 1911. She lived there until 1943.10 She attended Palm Elementary School, John T. Allan Junior High, and Austin High School graduating in 1923. A high school diploma was a very significant and rare accomplishment for a Mexican American woman at that time.11 She passed the exam to teach elementary school shortly after, but the AISD refused to hire her. They insisted that there were no jobs available, but Consuelo contended that it was due to her ethnicity.12 Consuelo worked in other parts of Texas instead and started teaching in the AISD in 1927 after the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) lobbied the City Council convincing Superintendent Arthur N. McCallum, Sr. to hire her. This position made her one of the first Tejana women to teach in a major Texas school system.13 She taught at the segregated Comal Street School, also known as la escuelita, which was a four-room school house where Latino children attended first and second grade.14 After the school closed, she then taught at the newly built Zavala Elementary School from about 1936 to 1956. In 1956 Consuelo earned her Bachelor’s degree from University of Texas after years of summer school, which was another notable feat for a person of her gender and ethnicity at the time. She majored in education and minored in Spanish.15 She then taught at Brooke Elementary School from 1956 to 1972.16
In 1943, Conseulo married Patricio J. Méndez, who was a lawyer, and moved out of her family home. They founded and led the Zavala PTA though they did not have any children of their own.17 Consuelo and her husband were active in local politics, helping with voter registration and poll tax drives for Latino residents and writing articles for the state PTA newsletter in both English and Spanish. Patricio was the first Latino man to run for Austin City Council in 1951. Consuelo became president of the Ladies League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council No. 202 in 1961 and served as the chair of the state LULAC convention that year.18 Consuelo and Patricio worked with LULAC during the 1940s through the 1960s on various political campaigns and fundraising initiatives to provide scholarships for Mexican American students. In 1961, LULAC awarded Consuelo “Outstanding Community Service” recognition for her efforts in establishing such scholarships.19 She retired in 1972 after teaching for 45 years and passed away in 1985. Two years after her passing, AISD named the new Mendez Middle School in her honor.20
Mary Grace Herrera
Mary Grace Herrera was born in 1912 and was the second Mexican American woman after Consuelo to work in the Austin school district. She taught first at Fulmore Junior High, then at Palm School beginning in 1938, where she taught for over 35 years.21 In 1973 she was one of the key witnesses in a federal desegregation trial for Austin schools.22 Mary Grace and her sister Consuelo testified that no programs were in place to meet the needs of Spanish speaking students in public schools, and teachers were instructed to only speak English to students discriminating against Spanish-speaking Mexican American students.23 She lived in the family house on East 3rd Street her whole life until her death in 1992.
Diana Herrera Castañeda
Diana Herrera Castañeda, Consuelo’s niece, lived in the house on East 3rd Street from 1992 until her death in 2016. She was a district trustee and East Austin activist. She attended Travis High School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University (known today as Texas State University). Diana was the third Latina elected to the AISD School Board in 1992 and served in PTAs for Metz Elementary, Brooke Elementary, Sanchez Elementary, and Austin High School.25 She was involved in LULAC, the local chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and Mexican American Democrats.26 Her activism went beyond the organizations that she participated in; Diana would take in children from the neighborhood who were in need, looking after them, feeding them, and making sure they were doing well in school.27 She and her husband Jim also formed a track club for their own children and other local kids so that they could take part in a sport that was traditionally too expensive for families in the neighborhood.28 As an active member of the AISD, she worked tirelessly to improve public schools, especially working to ensure that Latino students were provided equal educational opportunities. She fought against the privatization of schools. As of 2016, community members, including PODER founder Susana Almanza, were working to name an Austin school in Diana’s honor.24
Saving the Historic Home
The present owners scheduled the demolition of the home at 1805 East Third Street, but community organizations successfully advocated for the site to be designated a City of Austin historic landmark. One of Diana’s daughters, Rosanna Cervantes, spoke in favor of preserving the site, emphasizing the importance of the three women’s work and the necessity of preserving the home to commemorate their long-lasting legacy.30 Thanks in large part to the Austin Raza Round Table and the East Town Lake Citizens Neighborhood, the City designated the home a historic landmark honoring three important civil rights advocates of the Mexican American community. Much of the house is already collapsed with many parts on the verge, but owner Rex Bowers hired architect William Hodge to restore the original portion of the home.31
The Austin Raza Round Table also wrote a letter signed by 91 people to the mayor of Austin and City Council and called on the City to purchase the home and convert it into a museum to commemorate and celebrate the lives and civic contributions of the Consuelo Herrera Mendez, Mary Grace Herrera, and Diana Herrera Castañeda.32 Though the house is still quite dilapidated, efforts are in place to restore the home where the memory of three community activists may be honored.
Conclusion
Consuelo Herrera Mendez, Mary Grace Herrera, and Diana Herrera Castañeda were integral members of the Latino community in East Austin and forged a path to desegregate schools and provide equal opportunities to Mexican American and Latino youth. They served as educators for several decades and were staunch activists who fought incessantly for civil rights and equal opportunities for Latino children. Members of the Herrera family lived in the home at 1805 East Third Street for 105 years collectively while engaging in community work and advocacy. Because so many important East Austin houses have already been demolished, including community leader Edward Rendon Sr.’s home, the preservation of the Herrera house on East 3rd Street not only commemorates the contributions three women made to Austin history at large, but also presents a long overdue shift to celebrating buildings across the city that are of utmost importance to minority communities and played a pivotal role in Austin’s history.33 The architectural significance of the home must also be restated, as one of the few remaining examples of a National Folk style house.
Footnotes
6. Sudborough, Susannah. 2019. “East Austin House in Zoning Dispute.” Austin American Statesman, August 1, 2019. https://www.statesman.com/news/20190801/property-rights-and-historical-preservation-clash-in-zoning-decision.
7. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.
9. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933; see also Wilson, Mark D. 2020. “Council Set to Vote on Whether Activists’ East Austin House Is Historical Site.” Austin American Statesman, January 20, 2020. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/county/2020/01/20/council-set-to-vote-on-whether-activists-east-austin-house-is-historical-site/1859169007/.
10. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933; see also Devenyns, Jessi. 2019. “Historic Herrera Homestead Heads to Council with Planning Commission Approval.” Austin Monitor. October 1, 2019. https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2019/10/historic-herrera-homestead-heads-to-council-with-planning-commission-approval/.
11. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.
12. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.; see also Sudborough, Susannah. 2019. “East Austin House in Zoning Dispute.” Austin American Statesman, August 1, 2019. https://www.statesman.com/news/20190801/property-rights-and-historical-preservation-clash-in-zoning-decision.
13. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.; see also Orozco, Cynthia E. 1995. “Mendez, Consuelo Herrera (1904-1985).” Handbook of Texas. April 1, 1995. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mendez-consuelo-herrera.
14. Orozco, Cynthia E. 1995. “Mendez, Consuelo Herrera (1904-1985).” Handbook of Texas. April 1, 1995. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mendez-consuelo-herrera.
16. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.
18. Orozco, Cynthia E. 1995. “Mendez, Consuelo Herrera (1904-1985).” Handbook of Texas. April 1, 1995. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mendez-consuelo-herrera.
21. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.
22. Devenyns, Jessi. 2019. “Historic Herrera Homestead Heads to Council with Planning Commission Approval.” Austin Monitor. October 1, 2019. https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2019/10/historic-herrera-homestead-heads-to-council-with-planning-commission-approval/; see also Orozco, Cynthia E. 1995. “Mendez, Consuelo Herrera (1904-1985).” Handbook of Texas. April 1, 1995. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mendez-consuelo-herrera.
23. Sudborough, Susannah. 2019. “East Austin House in Zoning Dispute.” Austin American Statesman, August 1, 2019. https://www.statesman.com/news/20190801/property-rights-and-historical-preservation-clash-in-zoning-decision.
24. Barragan, James. 2016. “Diana Castañeda Was Activist, Former School Board Member.” Austin American Statesman, August 13, 2016. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2016/08/13/diana-castaeda-was-activist-former-school-board-member/9954444007/.
25. Devenyns, Jessi. 2019. “Historic Herrera Homestead Heads to Council with Planning Commission Approval.” Austin Monitor. October 1, 2019. https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2019/10/historic-herrera-homestead-heads-to-council-with-planning-commission-approval/; see also Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.
26. Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.
27. Barragan, James. 2016. “Diana Castañeda Was Activist, Former School Board Member.” Austin American Statesman, August 13, 2016. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2016/08/13/diana-castaeda-was-activist-former-school-board-member/9954444007/.
30. Devenyns, Jessi. 2019. “Historic Herrera Homestead Heads to Council with Planning Commission Approval.” Austin Monitor. October 1, 2019. https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2019/10/historic-herrera-homestead-heads-to-council-with-planning-commission-approval/.
31. Wilson, Mark D. 2020. “Council Set to Vote on Whether Activists’ East Austin House Is Historical Site.” Austin American Statesman, January 20, 2020. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/county/2020/01/20/council-set-to-vote-on-whether-activists-east-austin-house-is-historical-site/1859169007/.
33. Sudborough, Susannah. 2019. “East Austin House in Zoning Dispute.” Austin American Statesman, August 1, 2019. https://www.statesman.com/news/20190801/property-rights-and-historical-preservation-clash-in-zoning-decision.
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