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Republic Square Park History
Just after Edwin Waller had platted the City of Austin in 1839, city lots were auctioned under the shade of the live oak trees on what is now called Republic Square. A small grove of live oaks - known as the Auction Oaks - survive at the southwest corner of the square today.
In the early 1870's, Mexican immigrants began arriving in Austin in large numbers and most moved to the area just south, southwest and west of the square and courthouse/jail block. Austin newspapers dubbed the neighborhood "Mexico" and reported numerous accounts of fandangos, shootings and general wild conduct by the mid 1870's. Newspapers in the 1870's and 1880's also show that Mexican residents of the area celebrated Diez y Seis de Septiembre in the square, marking Mexico's (and Texas') independence from Spain
By 1905, the neighborhood to the west and south of the square was largely identified with Austin's Mexican population. Three "Mexican" churches, First Mexican Baptist (402 San Antonio Street), Methodist Episcopal (512 W. Fourth Street) and Mexican Methodist Church (400 block W. San Antonio at 502 W. Fourth Street) - were established within a block or two of the square. In 1907, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church was built directly across from and facing the square, at the northeast corner of Guadalupe and W. Fifth streets. Mexican Catholics attended St. Mary Immaculate Church until they built their own Spanish-language sanctuary across from the Public Square. In 1917, a parochial school associated with the church was established next to the church at 402 W. Fifth Street.
During World War I, Mexican patriotic celebrations were moved to East Avenue at E. Fifth Street for a few years, possibly because the National Guard used the Public Square for drilling exercises between 1902 and 1909. However, immediately after World War I there was renewed enthusiasm for activities at what was then called "Mexican Park". Mexican celebrations returned to the square, until 1927 when most Mexican cultural and patriotic events moved to Austin's East Side, first at Riverside Park and then permanently at Zaragosa Park.
Little information or historic reference has been found regarding the square or its use in the 1930's and 1940's. The surrounding neighborhood had transformed from a mixed residential/commercial zone into a predominantly light industrial, manufacturing and service-oriented district, a process begun after World War I. The park appears to have been vacant during this period.
Between 1950 and 1960 the park was converted to a parking lot. Ownership of the public square was contested by the city, county and state.
In 1974, the Sierra Club and the Parks and Recreation Department began discussions of converting the parking lot back into a public park. The restoration began in March of 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration. Several names were offered for the park but the Lions' Club of Austin's submission, Republic Square was chosen in tribute to the Republic of Texas.
In 1975, the city developed landscape plans for the park. The focal points were to be the Auction Oaks and a People's Fountain. Berms, or small grass-covered mounds, were planned to shelter the inner park area from its noisy and unsightly city surroundings, creating a sunken garden effect. A symbolic fault line representing the Balcones Fault was planned to divide the park into separate zones as is the case in Central Texas. Trees representing the different regions of fault line were to be planted on the different sides while Live Oaks would border the park and walkways extend from its four corners to the central plaza. The park remains today as it was developed in the 1970's.
Recent efforts by the Austin Parks Foundation, Downtown Austin Alliance, and Austin's Parks and Recreation Department to make Republic Square a vibrant part of downtown life have been warmly received. In 2002, the Austin Chronicle gave Republic Square a Best of Austin critics' pick award for Best Revitalization of a Park. In 2004, Republic Square won the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin readers choice award for Best Urban Public Space.
Austin Parks Foundation 701 Brazos Street, Suite 170 Austin, TX 78701 tel 512.477.1566 fax 512.477.1586 Copyright © 2007 Austin Parks Foundation. All rights reserved. |
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Downtown Parks History