Next Community Meeting: Monday, January 27th at 7PM, South Austin Recreation Center.
History of Galindo and GENA
Part I: How It All Began
Published by the GENA Board on May 10th, 2024. For any corrections or additions, please contact us at communications@gena.org.
The Galindo Elementary Neighborhood Association (GENA) was started in August 1996.[1] At the time, a group of area neighbors were compelled to organize to address a number of concerns that had been bubbling up for a while within the Galindo neighborhood.
Rolando Piña served as the association’s first President.[1] Piña was a natural fit for the role of President. Having moved to the area in 1988,[2] he was already known for his Patriotic Porch Parties, the popular grassroots community gatherings that allowed residents to meet local representatives and discuss issues right on his front porch.[3][14][17]
A bit of history first though, as it’s important to remember that Galindo looked a little bit different in 1996 than it does now.
For starters, it was only in 1951 that the area we now know as Galindo was fully annexed by the City of Austin![4] While hard to believe, the city limits had previously ended roughly where Oltorf exists today.[5]
Prior to annexation, this area mostly contained farmland and wooded areas. One of the earliest recorded subdivisions in this area, Oak Ridge Heights, began selling lots in the northeast quadrant (near West Oltorf St and South 1st St) in 1945[6], enticing prospective buyers to come live where “the air is cool and clean.”[7] Southwood and La Perla (both north of the park) were also largely developed in the 1950’s. This led to the construction of the many modest, midcentury style single family homes that characterize Galindo to this day.
Article from Jul 29, 1945 The Austin American (Austin, Texas)
Article from Oct 7, 1945 The Austin American (Austin, Texas)
As the neighborhood grew, so did the need for more services. City Council Minutes from the early 1950s highlight discussions of expanding the bus line down South 1st St from Live Oak to Cumberland Rd, as well as adding street lights to the “extreme end” of South 1st St and the areas around South 5th St, Cumberland, Oak Crest, and Herndon.[8] San Jose Catholic Church also moved into the neighborhood near South 1st St and Herndon around this time, officially opening its current location in 1956 to accommodate a growing congregation.[9] The church used the new location to provide important services such as sports programs for youths, and community gatherings and fiestas.
By the 1970s, Galindo had rapidly developed and, as one neighbor recently put it, “had become known as a diverse and laid-back haven where hippies and rednecks co-existed and co-mingled.” As a result of its rapid growth more amenities were being built to support residents. For example, thanks to community activism (and notably, Galindo resident Velia Sanchez[18]), the South Austin Recreation Center opened in 1974 providing a vital community space for children, teens, adults, and seniors.[10] Later on in 1989, the Galindo Elementary School opened its doors to area children.[11]
However, despite these many positive changes, the neighborhood continued to face growing infrastructure needs, and residents often suffered from the effects of crime.[1][2] Thus, by 1996 it was clear that the neighborhood needed more formal organization to deal with the continued needs that come along with such rapid growth.
The neighbors who convened at the very first meeting of GENA–a hot one, which took place in August in the kitchen of South Austin Recreation Center–identified two major issues of utmost importance to the neighborhood.[2]
First, the neighborhood had gotten wind of the potential sale of a portion of the San Jose Catholic Church property to develop an apartment complex along South 1st St. Given the importance of the church and the surrounding space, neighbors were successful in gathering enough signatures to influence the developer to change plans.[1][2] A separate petition by the City of Austin to purchase part of the property was also removed in 2001.[15] That parcel is now the home to San Juan Diego Catholic High School, which first opened in 2002 and expanded in 2017.[16]
Of other great concern was the INS detention and processing facility on South 2nd St that had moved in next door to Galindo Elementary School in 1986 while the school was being built[12] (the school opened in 1989[11]). Parents had protested this odd pairing for years but found it difficult to gain traction.[12] Thanks to their collective efforts–which spanned several years and included campaigning to City Hall and local and state representatives–the facility ultimately relocated sometime after 1999.[2] [editor’s note 5/11/24: Rolando Piña has also emphasized the incredible support provided by Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Libby Doggett.]
Over the years, the Galindo Elementary Neighborhood Association has taken on many initiatives to better the livelihood of area residents. Stay tuned for upcoming spotlights as we continue on our journey of the history of Galindo and GENA!
Aerial Photos
The below slideshow illustrates the changing landscape of Galindo over time, from 1940 to present day (2024). The bright green outline shows the rough border of Galindo.
Aerial photographs came from Google Earth Pro (free download at https://www.google.com/earth/about/versions/), the City of Austin Property Profile Explorer (https://maps.austintexas.gov/GIS/PropertyProfile/), and from an Aerotech photograph book purchased by Lori Perry.
References
[1] “In Your Backyard: Galindo Elementary Neighborhood Association.” At Your Doorstep, August 1997. Image.
[2] Interview between Heather Nelson and Rolando Piña, 25 February 2024.
[3] Rivera, D. “Patriotic Porch’s 11th year: Council hopefuls hang out in front yard.” The Austin American-Statesman, 22 April 1999, p. 39. News Clipping.
[4] The City of Austin annexation maps clearly show that the area we know as Galindo was fully annexed in 1951. Looking at the official city datasets, we can see that in 1946 only a small sliver on the north end of Galindo was fully annexed while the rest of the area was part of the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (link to March 1946 dataset). The July 1951 dataset shows the same (link to July 1951 dataset). Finally, by the December 1951 dataset we can see that the entire area of Galindo (and beyond!) is part of Austin’s FULL jurisdiction (link to December 1951 dataset).
[5] In addition to the annexation datasets, we can see in an Austin Texas street guide from 1944 that Oltorf St appears to end at South 1st St to the east (i.e. the portion of Oltorf stretching from S 1st to S Lamar does not exist yet). Fletcher St is the first street north of Oltorf on today’s map. (link to 1944 map, made available by Austin History Center).
[6] “Oak Ridge Heights Will Be Opened Soon.” The Austin American, 29 July 1945, p. 2. News Clipping.
[7] “Lot Sale – Today – Lot Sale – Oak Ridge Heights.” The Austin American, 7 October 1945, p. 25. News Clipping.
[8] Minutes of the Austin City Council (City of Austin website) from 5 June 1952, p. 10. https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=88390
[9] History of San Jose Church (San Jose Church website). Accessed on 9 May 2024. https://sanjosechurch.org/history
[10] “South Austin Rec Center Opening Today.” The Austin American-Statesman, 23 February 1974, p. 31. News Clipping.
[11] Galindo Elementary School projects (Austin ISD website). Accessed on 9 May 2024. https://www.austinisd.org/schools/galindo/projects
[12] Sattley, M. “Elementary Rights: Clearing the Red Tape.” The Austin Chronicle, 7 May 1999. Link to article.
[13] Hispanic Heritage Month profile: Emma Herrera Galindo (Austin ISD website). Accessed on 9 May 2024. https://www.austinisd.org/announcements/2023/10/13/hispanic-heritage-month-profile-emma-herrera-galindo-en-espanol
[14] Sattley, M. “The People’s Porch: From Compact to Smart.” The Austin Chronicle, 14 May 1999. Link to article.
[15] Letter from the City of Austin to Reverend Kirby Garner on behalf of Reverend John McCarthy of San Jose Catholic Church, 14 February 2001.
[16] History of San Juan Diego High School (San Juan Diego High School website). Accessed on 10 May 2024. https://sjdchs.org/our-history
[17] Thakkar, P. “Patriotism on the Porch.” The Austin American-Statesman, 5 July 1999, p. 10. News Clipping.
[18] Littleton, S. “Galindo Featured Neighbor: Velia Sanchez.” GENA Newsletter, Spring 2018. Link to newsletter.