Herrera Family and Herrera House

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

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.

8.  ibid.

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.

15.  ibid.

16.  Austin Historic Landmark Commission. 2019. “Zoning Change Review Sheet.” Austintexas.Gov. July 22, 2019. https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=333933.

17.  ibid.

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.

19.  ibid.

20.  ibid.

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/.

28.  ibid.

29.  ibid.

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/.

32.  ibid.

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.

 

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.

Richard Moya House

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

Richard Moya house, courtesy Preservation Austin

  

          Moya’s Early Life

            Richard Moya was born in 1932, the first of three children to Guatero and Berta Moya. At the time of his birth, the family lived on East 9th Street in Austin. Entering grade school, Moya enrolled in Zavala Elementary, a segregated school attended by Mexican American children. When Moya was in 4th grade, his family moved to their long-term home at 1102 East 1st Street6, putting them in closer proximity to the Anglo-only Metz elementary. When the school superintendent told the Moyas their children still had to attend Zavala with other Mexican American children, Moya’s mother refused. She determinedly fought the decision and eventually the school allowed Moya and his sister to attend Metz. The Moya children were two of only five Mexican American children in the entire school.7 After Metz Elementary, Moya attended Allan Junior High and graduated from Austin High School in 1950.
            During high school, Moya started his own school newspaper called the Blah, Blah, Blah which became the voice for his Mexican American classmates.8 Although the paper was later banned from campus, Moya did the printing himself, an interest which led to his work as a union printer for 15 years after his high school graduation. This background in printing would feature prominently during his political career. He eventually changed career paths and became an investigator for Travis County Legal Aid Society and worked with the Office of Economic Opportunity in the mid-1960s. This new line of work exposed him to the workings of county government and inspired him to become involved in politics. There had not been any Mexican Americans elected to public office in Austin at that point, and Moya noticed that even among government staff there was a striking lack of diversity.9 In addition to Moya’s exposure to the workings of county government, another influential factor in his life came in the form of the Economy Furniture Strike.10

            The Economy Furniture Strike

            A strike led by Mexican American workers at the Economy Furniture Store, located at 5100 E 5th St. in East Austin and at the time the largest furniture-making business in the three-state area of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, was an important part of the Chicano political movement that swept Austin in the 1970s.11 Workers at the Economy Furniture Store, 90% of whom were Mexican American, had been trying to unionize for nearly a decade.12 Their chief complaints were low pay and the fact that experienced Mexican American workers would be tasked with training new white workers who would quickly become their supervisors. When owner Milton Smith refused to honor the 252-83 vote in favor of unionizing, workers went on strike on November 27, 1968. Milton bitterly refused to negotiate, causing the strike and an ensuing furniture boycott to last for 28 months. The strike drew national attention when Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union took an interest. Chavez came to Austin to lend support to the movement and led a march of over 5,000 people on the Capitol on February 6, 1971. In June 1971, Smith finally agreed to wage increases, seniority-based raises, and other benefits, including up to $13,500 in back pay to each worker.13 This success showed the power of the Mexican American community in Austin, and soon people were fighting for change in more places than their work environments. They wanted their political representation to look like them. This political awakening led to numerous Chicano politicians running for office in the late 1960s and 1970s.
            On December 15, 1969, Moya announced his candidacy for Travis County Commissioner in the midst of the Economy Furniture Strike.14 After months of campaigning, Moya was successful in his race for Commissioner, unseating incumbent Lawson Booth who had been in office for 21 years. This impressive victory solidified Richard Moya’s place in history as the first Mexican American elected to public office in Austin. Moya credited the Economy Furniture strikers and the strong Chicano political movement for his successful election.

            Moya House and the Brown Machine

            When Moya’s parents moved out of their family home, they gave Moya the house to use as a political headquarters. This physical base was important to the burgeoning Chicano movement in Austin since up until this point most had not had much first-hand experience in political organizing. Having one central place to support their political activities made the effort simpler for the community. The Moya House became the center of the future political strength of the Mexican American community in Austin.15
            The Moya House is a one and a half story wooden Craftsman style home that was built circa 1930.16 It is likely a kit home, a concept which was popularized by companies such as Sears, Roebuck & Co. in the 1910s and 1920s. Companies would sell building plans and factory-cut building components. These were shipped and then assembled on-site, making homeownership more affordable for average families. Typical of a Craftsman style home, decorative braces adorn the low-pitched gable roof with exposed rafters. The house features a covered porch supported by square columns. Although they are no longer standing today, at the time the home was used for political purposes there was a small garage and a storage shed located at the back of the property.17 The garage housed Moya’s printing press which he used to create campaign posters for himself and other candidates.
            Drawing on his 15 years of experience as a professional printer, Moya was highly skilled at using a printing press and silkscreen printing methods to create political posters. A group of five would operate the press in an assembly line fashion—one raised the press, while another loaded the cardboard, and another applied the ink, and so on.18 Volunteers would attach the posters to wooden stakes and display them around town to raise awareness for the campaigns. Smaller posters would be attached to coat hangers and hung in bushes and in trees around town.19 Moya’s printing press was dubbed “the Brown Machine” because of the part it played in the election of so many Mexican American candidates. The Moya House was used for political organizing to turn out the vote leading up to elections. On election day, the house became the neighborhood hub where the community would gather to see the results of the election. A large board was erected in the backyard to keep track of the political races throughout the day. If the candidate won, a celebratory bar-b-que was sure to follow.20 The Moya House was used as a political headquarters until the early 1990s.21

            Conclusion

            As the central hub for many important Mexican American political campaigns at the height of the Chicano movement in the 1970s, the Moya House is a significant site in the history of Austin. In addition to Moya’s campaign, other notable campaigns that utilized the Moya House include Bob Perkins for re-election to Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace in 1978, John Treviño Jr. for Austin City Council in 1975, Gonzalo Barrientos for State Representative in 1972 and 1974, and Margaret Gomez for Travis County Constable in 1980, among others. They all used the Moya House for phone banking, block walking, fundraising, sign making, and tracking of votes on election day. These elections were significant because they were the first instances that Mexican American politicians from Austin were elected to city, county, and state levels of government. Although the house was sold in 1999, it takes its rightful place in the history of how the Mexican American community rose to prominence in Austin politics. The civic leaders it produced were highly impactful in shaping the political landscape of the city of Austin, Travis County, and the state of Texas.

            Footnotes

6. First Street was renamed Cesar Chavez Street in 1993.

7. “Oral History Interview with Richard Moya Transcript.” 2003. Tejano Voices. January 30, 2003. https://library.uta.edu/tejanovoices/xml/CMAS_159.xml.

8. ibid.

9. ibid.

10. Olgin, Mario. 1995. “Economy Furniture Company Strike.” Handbook of Texas. January 1, 1995.  https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/economy-furniture-company-strike.

11. ibid.

12. ibid.

13. ibid.

14. “R. Moya Announces Candidacy.” Dec 15, 1969. https://atxlibrary.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/r-moya-announces-candidacy/docview/1515051777/se-2?accountid=7451.

15. Barrientos, Gonzalo. Moya House Interview. Personal, March 18, 2022.

16. Moya, Lori. Moya House Interview. Personal, November 22, 2021.

17. Barrientos, Gonzalo. Moya House Interview. Personal, March 18, 2022.

18. ibid.

19. “Sanborn Fire Maps.” 1962. Library of Congress. May 1962. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4034am.g4034am_g08415196202/?sp=12&r=0.35,0.581,0.523,0.275,0.

20. Rivera, Gilbert. Moya House Interview. Personal, November 23, 2021.

21. Moya, Lori. Moya House Interview. Personal, November 22, 2021.