Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > December > 03 > Entry
Neighorhood Walks: East Cesar Chavez
Geographically speaking, Austin’s East Cesar Chavez neighborhood is virtually indistinguishable from the contiguous Holly Street district to its east.
To the north, the shared terrain slopes upward before spreading into industrial and commercial zones on either side of a railroad right-of-way. East Fifth and East Sixth streets provide the northern regions with cherished, old businesses, newer lofts, hipster hangouts and artist studios.
The primary physical and social difference between the two: The decommissioned Holly Street Power Plant, which has dominated political life in the easterly of these twinned neighborhoods.
Nora the Lab Explorer and I walked seven miles in the Cesar Chavez side on a recent, gorgeous Saturday morning. It’s a pedestrian-pleasing area, given the absence of steep hills and the miles-long rows of mature shade trees, often semi-tropical fan palms and mimosas next to vine-tangled alleys. Refreshments are available at taco stands, coffee shops and tiny grocery stores. Making this hike a special pleasure: Kip and I lived on Garden Street in Cesar Chavez for six years during the 1990s.
Nevertheless, Nora and I stumbled on some surprises among my old haunts. Almost empty this day were landscaped parks with their picnic tables, playgrounds, trails, sports facilities and waterfront access curving around the Rebekah Baines Johnson Health Center.
Also, the residential urban infill is surprisingly modest along streets such as Haskell, Canterbury, San Marcos and Willow, all west of Chicon Street, which separates Cesar Chavez from Holly. This sort of gentrification is more common above East Cesar Chavez Street, perhaps because so many of the historical structures to the south are in good shape. (Thus, the national accreditation for the dense Willow-Spence Streets Historic District.)
Various well-maintained institutions, besides the health center, define interior quadrants — Martin Middle School to the south; Chalmers Court public housing and nearly silent Plaza Saltillo to the north; Sanchez Elementary and Terrazas Library to the west. Crucial to the renaissance along East Cesar Chavez is the Big Red Sun landscaping headquarters, while two blocks north is one of Cesar Chavez’s most recognizable landmarks, the exuberantly eclectic La Luz del Mundo church.
Like all urban areas, Cesar Chavez is in constant flux. It was a predominately German and Scottish community within the memory of Austin’s older citizens. Latinos made their mark here in the years following World War II. Yuppies — I don’t use that word disparagingly — and artists are now sprinkled throughout.
Not everyone is happy with those changes. And the impact of the promised commuter rail is uncertain. But if you can find more fecund land in Austin, plant there.
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