urn:taro:utexas.cah.02546 A Guide to the La Villita Corporation Records, 1939-1966 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. April 2011 Finding aid written in English. February 2012 Additions made by Annie Sollinger Descriptive Summary La Villita Corporation La Villita Corporation Records 1939-1966 Materials are written in English. 93-033 2 ft. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Composed of correspondence, financial papers, minutes, newspaper clippings, printed material, an unpublished manuscript, and photographs, the La Villita Corporation Records, 1939-1966, document the reconstruction and renovation of La Villita. Historical Note

Originally the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village, La Villita was established in present-day San Antonio, Texas in 1722. Initially inhabited by families of soldiers employed at San Antonio de Béxar Presidio, La Villita continued to draw European settlers until its decline during the first part of the 20th century. Under the guidance of Maury Maverick and the La Villita Corporation, the city of San Antonio renovated La Villita in 1939 as a cultural and recreational center. In conjunction with the reconstruction, the Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration sponsored the publication of Along the San Antonio River (1941), which documents the beautification of the river as well as the renovation of La Villita. Used as a Red Cross Center during World War II, La Villita once again became a community center for Texas and Spanish culture. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and currently hosts a number of festivals and special events.

 Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence, financial papers, minutes, newspaper clippings, printed material, an unpublished manuscript, and photographs, the La Villita Corporation Records, 1939-1966, document the reconstruction and renovation of La Villita. Correspondence, 1939-1948, concerns the formation of the corporation’s board of directors, copyrights, and Maury Maverick’s contributions to the publication Along the San Antonio River, while financial records, 1948-1955, relate to costs associated with the renovation. Minutes, 1940-1966, pertain to the meetings of the board of directors; newspaper clippings, 1941-1965, discuss La Villita; and printed material includes a copy of Along the San Antonio River (1941) and an issue of Frontier Times featuring an article on La Villita and San Antonio (1940). Additionally, the collection contains Maury Maverick’s unpublished manuscript on the history of La Villita, [ca. 1939], and photographs depicting the site and individuals associated with the renovation.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Maverick, Maury, 1895-1954. Subjects (Organizations) La Villita Corporation -- Archives. Subjects Historic sites -- Conservation and restoration -- Texas -- History -- 20th century. Places La Villita (San Antonio, Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. San Antonio (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. Preferred Citation

La Villita Corporation Records, 1939-1966, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3J119 Correspondence, financial records, and minutes, 1939-1966 3J120 Minutes, newspaper clippings, manuscript, 1939-1966 3X8 Negatives 3X8a Negatives 3X9a Photographs