The Lavaca neighborhood: Urban eclectic

Check out our special story package with an interactive map and video about the Lavaca neighborhood, the oldest existing residential neighborhood in San Antonio, and lately, the trendiest.

...

The Lavaca neighborhood is often overshadowed by the neighboring area of King William. Both neighborhoods share historic houses, a beautiful downtown skyline view, and a thriving arts and culture community.

The Lavaca neighborhood is becoming the place to eat, drink, and be merry. There’s an abundance of restaurants, bars, art venues, and even a liquor store to get your kicks.

“The ability for neighbors to mesh together has been amazing,” said Curtis Bowers, vice president of the Lavaca Neighborhood Association. “It really is just a great place to be.”

Bowers along with Lavaca Neighborhood Association president Tanner Neidhardt are reaching out to their neighbors to build a better community one step at a time. Their efforts have led them to thinking outside of the usual monthly meeting.

Since Neidhardt took helm as the neighborhood association president earlier this year, he's brought community members together with weekend tree-planting projects and a watermelon social. He most recently kicked off a summer crawl, which invites neighbors to open their homes to each other for an evening of drinks and chatting. 

"This shows the community coming together by working on projects and social events," Neidhardt said during the March tree-planting event. "This is everyday Lavaca."

The sense of a community working together dates back to the early 1870s when a then relatively young Lavaca neighborhood set up roots. As stated on the Lavaca Neighborhood Association website, "The neighborhood's original residents included carpenters, stonemasons, shopkeepers, clerks, tailors, bartenders, teamsters and butchers."

The neighborhood continues to evolve and present new opportunities to the bustling community. One such evolution involved the Victoria Courts, which were constructed in the 1940s as a public housing. In 2001, the Courts were demolished and the land is now being used as new apartment complexes, and also has become the model of a mixed income housing development.

The area surrounding the old Victoria Courts faces some of the lingering issues of the housing project as evidenced during a recent Lavaca neighborhood meeting, where people discussed problems with code compliance, graffiti, and a need for improved infrastructure.

But the main problem the Lavaca neighborhood faces now is building a stronger community. The neighborhood association leaders hope that with the addition of extra curricular activities, more people will want to get involved. 

One such example of building community is the South Presa Community Garden, which after suffering from a few growing pains earlier this year is experiencing a resurgence, due to weekly potlucks that draw out neighbors to not only feast on the veggies harvested from the garden but to also contribute by weeding or taking care of the plot. 

Aside from community building groups, restaurants and other quirky establishments have set their roots in Lavaca, and are enjoying the kind of crowd they're bringing in. 

Bubblehead has called the Lavaca neighborhood home for nearly three years, and has become known for offering something a little different: Asian beverages and hookah. Co-owner Albert Smith likens Bubblehead to a cultural hodgepodge, one which blends people of different cultures and fans of different pastimes.

Across the street is Taco Haven, a Lavaca neighborhood institution. Lovers of tacos can vouch for the delicious creations that come out of Taco Haven, a family business that has been around for decades and continues to pack in crowds especially with the after church bunch. With favorites such as Yoli’s caldo, tripitas fritas, migas, and more it’s no surprise why so many residents can be found on a daily basis reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, and catching up on neighborhood chisme.

One of the newest business additions to the Lavaca neighborhood is Pig Liquors, located in a boldly colored house that offers a fine selection of spirits and a spirited boutique. Anet Alaniz opened shop a few months ago, catering not only to liquor lovers, but also to people who appreciate art and vintage duds.

“I wanted to come back to this neighborhood because it is part of my heritage,” Alaniz said. “I know Lavaca is growing. It is very progressive.”

The Conjunto Heritage Taller is yet another organization that is building community in Lavaca, but this time with music. The Taller’s mission is to teach and preserve Conjunto music. Legendary accordionists Bene Medina and Lorenzo Martinez conducting weekly accordion classes.

The newest chapter has brought the Lavaca neighborhood a little bit of everything.

"The people (who reside in Lavaca) are eclectic and eccentric," Lavaca resident Michelle Stress said. "They are old, young, black, white, gay, straight -- it's just a perfect mix of everyone getting together and being harmonious together."

......

If you'd like to share your pictures, video or stories about Lavaca, drop us a line at news@nowcastsa.org.