The Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Neighborhood

Words by Sean Saldana Photo By Will Bowling

After a large community effort, the City of Austin designates an East Austin neighborhood as one of its historic districts.

The Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross neighborhood, which has been home to some of Austin’s most prominent Black leaders like Jimmy Snell and T.C. Calhoun, has long been a historic part of East Austin. Most recently, that history has been signed into law.

Encompassing just a few blocks from East 21st Street and East Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and first established in the 1950s, the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross neighborhood has also been home to some of Austin’s most successful Black families for decades. Residents have included Tuskegee Airmen, Obama Administration cabinet members, and numerous local education leaders like Willie Mae Kirk.

The neighborhood has been called a “powerful symbolic response” to “racially restrictive covenants, redlining, prejudiced lenders, and other social and governmental barriers” facing Black Austinites after World War II, and it doesn’t take much to understand why.

The neighborhood consists mostly of the mid-century architecture that’s associated with prosperity and the American middle class. The one-story homes with low-pitched roofs, large front lawns, and winding streets with shady oak trees add to its charm and invoke feelings of times when life operated at a slower pace. It’s no surprise that this part of town has been home to so many people who have helped shape Austin’s history.

An effort spearheaded by community members, the proposed district received 63% support among homeowners within its footprint, well surpassing the 51% support needed to move forward with the application process, according to The Austin Monitor. The initiative also received wide support from noteworthy organizations like Preservation Austin, the City of Austin’s Equity Office, The Blackland Community Development Corporation, and The Austin Revitalization Authority.

Lori Martin, president of Preservation Austin, described the district as, “an early neighborhood developed by Black professionals for Black professionals” and went on to say that the area, “represents the strength and tenacity of many African American families who dedicated their lives to the education and uplifting of their children and their community.”

The effort’s first major test came on July 27 when it was officially reviewed by the Historic Landmark Commission. After over a dozen residents showed up to the meeting in support, the Commission unanimously recommended granting the area a historic designation. From there, the application moved forward to the Planning Commission where a revised boundary map was reviewed and approved. The preservation efforts were finalized on September 3 when the Austin City Council signed an ordinance amending the city code and officially establishing the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Historic District.

During the Council meeting, one resident who spoke in favor said, “We envision generations of the families who founded this neighborhood staying or returning to raise children here side-by-side with new residents, putting down new roots.”

Did You Know? The new historic designation requires a Certificate of Appropriateness to be issued before structures in the district can be demolished, undergo significant site work, or construction of a contributing building can begin.