Pan American Recreation Center And Park

This article is based on an abbreviated copy of the historical marker application compiled by Catalina Katherine Enders, Preservation Austin intern.

Oswaldo A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center. Photo courtesy Austin Parks and Recreation.

Original Comal Street Location

The community hub that would one day become the Oswaldo “A.B.” Cantu Pan American Recreation Center was first opened by the National Youth Administration in 1942.⁶ The Latin American Community Center, as it was known at the time, was located at Comal and 3rd Street inside the old Comal Street School building. The school had been abandoned since the 1930s after students were required to transfer to Zavala Elementary. The center opened to provide services and activities for the Mexican American community, especially the neighborhood youth. It also served as an organizing space for political groups such as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Mexican Patriotic Club.⁷ In 1946, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department took over the center and Raul “Roy” Guerrero was named the new director. Guerrero was already an established advocate for racial equity in recreation at the time, and he went on to become the Deputy Director of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.⁸

Move to Present Day Location Adjoining Zavala Elementary

In 1956, the center relocated a few blocks further east to its present-day location on East 3rd Street. The building’s original design featured hallmarks of the postwar International Style. This included a flat-roof, minimal ornamentation, and curtain walls that alternate with smooth brick wall planes. It connects to the historic New Deal-era Zavala Elementary (1936) to the east.

At that time, there was a contest to decide on a new name for the recreation hub. The winning suggestion was submitted by community member Dr. George I. Sanchez; The Pan American Recreation Center.⁹ The new building cost $195,000 and was the first community center in Austin specially designed for recreation purposes. Its grand opening weekend was attended by neighbors, along with many Mexican American political and community groups. Mayor Tom Miller delivered the dedication speech and a community dance led by the music of Nash Hernández Orchestra marked the occasion.¹⁰ The Nash Hernández Orchestra still performs around Central Texas to this day and is led by Nash’s son, Ruben Hernández.¹¹

The center continued to grow in its new space and was able to provide more services to the community. Sports, crafts, and life skills such as sewing and cooking were all taught there. Adults also benefited from the many classes offered at Pan Am, with courses covering a broad range of practical skills such as English lessons, driving instruction, and how to navigate the citizenship process and voting.¹² Fun events like roller-skating days and dances took place as well. A library was also available within the center for community use. Many of the books were donated by fundraisers hosted by the women’s journalism fraternity Theta Sigma Phi.¹³ Within a few years of the centers relocation, a new staff member was hired who would prove crucial in establishing a program that would end up becoming one of Pan Am’s most enduring legacies—boxing.

Boxing Comes to Pan Am

Oswaldo A.B. Cantu was a man known by many names. He was “Mr. Pan Am” to some, “Mr. Boxing” to others, and even sometimes referred to as the “unofficial mayor of East Austin.”¹⁴ His most enduring nickname, “Atomic Bomb” (abbreviated A.B.), was the one that stuck. Cantu first began boxing with friends in a warehouse that housed a vegetable market. He reportedly stuffed a duffle bag full of padding to use as his first punching bag.¹⁵ When he was drafted for the Korean War, he found himself boxing in the Army. After Cantu returned home to Austin, he had a strong desire to bring more opportunities for boxing to the youth of East Austin. Cantu spoke candidly about crime that he saw in the neighborhood.¹⁶ He firmly believed boxing and other sports were one way to help kids stay out of trouble. He thought that an outlet like boxing could help dispel feelings of isolation and otherness that he believed made young people susceptible to gangs or drugs. Cantu founded the Pan American Boxing Club in 1956 and worked hard to provide a place where neighborhood youth could build a sense of community.

Cantu’s hard work led Pan Am’s boxing gym to become one of the most well-respected in the area. Boxing competitions featuring Pan Am youth often drew a crowd. Cantu also organized the regional Golden Gloves tournaments each year, with Pan Am consistently taking first place from 1956 to 1961.¹⁷ One of Cantu’s boxers, Manuel Navarro, was the national bantamweight champion in 1964.¹⁸ Cantu coached scores of young boxers over the decades, but he also connected with other neighborhood kids by teaching cooking, art classes, and overseeing other activities at Pan Am. He was a respected role model in the Mexican American community for many more than just his boxers.

Music, Murals, and Other Pan Am Offerings

Cinco de Mayo celebrations, movie nights, dances, and fundraisers for Mexican American groups all regularly took place at Pan Am. Concerts were also a huge part of its offerings. The Hillside Theater was added at the base of the grassy hill beside the center in 1958. Its weekly Tuesday evening programs were extremely popular. Performances were always free and open to the public, giving the neighborhood an opportunity to gather together. The shows were often a mix of different musical performances along with talent acts such as baton twirling or hula hooping.¹⁹ The music typically highlighted Tejano artists with notable performances from Manuel “Cowboy” Donley, the Nash Hernández Orchestra, and even a young Selena y Los Dinos.²⁰ Performances still happen at the Hillside Theater to this day, making it the longest running outdoor concert series in Austin.²¹

Murals by Raul Valdez were added to the Hillside Theater in 1978. These murals are commonly known as the ‘Hillside Murals”. Valdez, an East Austinite himself, collaborated closely with other community members and neighborhood youth to determine what should be included in the murals.²² One wall depicts a Mexican family in the back of a pickup truck representing the large migrant workforce. Another panel features labor organizer and political activist Cesar Chavez leading a group of workers. Birth, life, and struggle are recurring themes displayed throughout the mural. Over the years, the murals have been subject to graffiti and vandalism, but they were fully restored by Valdez in 2012.²³

Conclusion

The Oswaldo “A.B.” Cantu Pan American Recreational Center and adjacent park are significant in the history of East Austin. They served as an important community gathering place when much of Austin was not welcoming to the Mexican American community. The Pan Am Boxing Club and Oswaldo A.B. Cantu were both influential in establishing boxing as a popular youth pastime in Austin, especially amongst the East Austin youth. Additionally, the Hillside Theater is significant for both its status as the longest running outdoor concert series in Austin and for its murals by Raul Valdez. In 1996, the site was renamed the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu Pan American Recreation Center in honor of the Center’s cherished boxing coach and community pillar. Pan Am still serves the community today, and it continues to play an important role in supporting the people of East Austin.

Footnotes

6. “Comal School Given NYA For Civic Center: Latin-Americans Will Have Use of Building.” Austin American Statesman, May 9, 1940 https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1610178021/BEF45AC54EBA4729PQ/1.

7. “Austin Center Has Romping of All Ages: Comal Community Sparked by Teen-Age Blue Horizon Club.” Austin American Statesman, August 13,1944. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1611646972/BEF45AC54EBA4729PQ/10.

8.  Barnes, Michael. “Make Sure Roy Guerrero Is Remembered Not Just as a Park.” Austin American Statesman, December 17, 2018. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/history/2018/12/17/make-sure-roy-guerrero-is-remembered-not-just-as-park/6628046007/.

9.  Palomares, Hortensia. “East Austin Center Renamed in Honor of Youth Advocate, Oswaldo ‘AB’ Cantu.” Arriba, August 23, 1996, p 2.

10. “New Recreation Center to Celebrate Opening.” Austin American Statesman, September 7, 1956. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1563272241/85B464F77A334BD7PQ/2.

11.  Barnes, Michael. “Austin's Nash Hernández Orchestra Celebrates a Swingin' 70 Years.” Austin 360, October 25, 2019. https://www.austin360.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/25/austins-nash-hernaacutendez-orchestra-celebrates-swingin-70-years/2443420007/.

12. “Classes Scheduled for Those Speaking Spanish.” Austin American Statesman, October 2, 1955. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1611080389/FFBE1664A5F24CACPQ/5.   

13. “Pan Am Center, East Austin YW to Receive Books from Theta Sig.” Austin American Statesman, May 4,1955. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1559817075/FFBE1664A5F24CACPQ/3.

14. “Mr. Pan-Am.” Austin American Statesman. February 8, 1968. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1515265146/4CE9441F17124E1CPQ/4.

15. “From a Vegetable Warehouse and a Duffle Bag: Boxing Program Has Come a Long Way.” Austin American Statesman, March 25, 1978. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1923456122/57E2F83359474260PQ/1.

16. “Pan-Am’s Cantu Has Seen Kids on Drugs… It Hurt.” Austin American Statesman, May 11, 1969. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1515081045/4CE9441F17124E1CPQ/2.

17. “Golden Gloves Open: Over 100 to Box in Tourney.” Austin American Statesman, February 8, 1976. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1675326420/EA2D7B22043C4BC1PQ/1.

18. “Cultivating Champs: Former Golden Gloves Winner Passes Skills to Young Boxers.” Austin American Statesman, November 27, 1980. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/2215270551/EA2D7B22043C4BC1PQ/2.  

19. “Pan Am Hillside Theater.” Austin American Statesman, June 24,1963. https://www.proquest.com/hnpaustinamericanstatesman/docview/1522459625/3D0F8E75CAAF4E6FPQ/9.

20.  Maciel, Ana. Pan American Recreation Center Interview. Personal, December 10, 2021.

21.  ibid.

22.  Rivera, Gilbert. Pan American Recreation Center Interview. Personal, November 23, 2021.

23.  Public Art Archive. n.d. “Hillside Mural.” Publicartarchive.Org. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://locate.publicartarchive.org/art/Hillside-Mural?ib=ext.