Dear Mayor Adler: As a strong supporter of yours I watched the recent establishment of a task force on institutional racism with considerable interest. I would respectfully like to bring an example of institutional racism to your attention. At issue is the property located at 500 Montopolis Drive. It is one of the most important […]
Continue ReadingLast week’s meeting of the Austin Historic Landmark Commission was once again a wash. Only seven commissioners showed up, enough for a quorum but not enough for the supermajority required on the 500 Montopolis Drive matter. A supermajority is required because the present property owner opposes the historic landmarking of the school property. The item […]
Continue ReadingOn Monday November 21st at 7:00 p.m. the City of Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission will meet to consider historically zoning the last remaining rural Negro school in Travis County, the Montopolis Negro School. A photograph of the school is in my 2014 book Austin’s Montopolis Neighborhood. The school was founded in about 1891 at a […]
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