La Villita Restoration - San Antonio TX

City:: San Antonio, TX
Site Type:: Civic Facilities, Archaeology and History, Historical Restoration
New Deal Agencies:: Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA), National Youth Administration (NYA)

Description

“La Villita, in the heart of San Antonio, was once the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village. The first huts in the community were probably erected about 1722…

The Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo colonial history of the section is preserved in the name of the streets and houses of La Villita: Guadalupe Street, Bolivar Hall, Juarez Plaza, Cos House, Canada House, and McAllister Corner. La Villita was restored as a result of a city ordinance of October 12, 1939, and is owned by the city and operated as a craft and recreational center. The National Youth Administration [a subsection of the WPA] assisted in the two-year restoration, during which 1,800 youths were trained in arts and crafts. San Antonio architect O’Neil Ford and others contributed to the project.”

(https://www.tshaonline.org)

The area is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Note: one of the entrances into La Villita is through the WPA Arneson River Theater.