Luis Viramontes
I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. My parents emigrated from Mexico in the 1920’s during the Mexican Revolution seeking safety and economic opportunities.
I received a bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the University of Texas in Austin during the tenure of John Hejduk, Colin Rowe, and Werner Seligmann. After completing my apprenticeship, my interest in the civil rights activities of the Chicano Movement in Texas led me to become the Director of Housing for the Commission for Mexican American Affairs of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio.
At that time the location of subsidized multifamily housing was as controversial in mainstream neighborhoods as it was in the barrio of west San Antonio where the Rodriguez Case concerning the unequal funding of public education was filed. At the Commission we planned projects that would replace barrio housing demolished by urban renewal in the inner city which extended from city hall into the western quadrant of the city. While there was no public opposition no award was made.
In 1972 I applied and was awarded a full time Loeb Fellowship where I was able to explore and analyze the complexities of urban development. While at the GSD I was able to study and reflect on issues that affect urban development from a broader perspective. Bill Doebele’s course in planning law demonstrated the basics of development from the earliest concepts of property to the many legal effects of zoning which allowed me to understand the many problems in this field. His simple diagram of a section through a postwar Berlin street clearly described the complexities of urban development. Hope Funkhouser and Bill Poorvu’s course, Housing Environments, together with much tutoring, helped me broaden my vision for addressing problems and solutions in urban development.
Shortly after my return to San Antonio, the Archdiocese redirected their mission to an Alinsky based organization rather than to the development one. By this time my personal interests were substantially broader but continued to be focused on the possibilities for community development in the inner-city barrio. I partnered with an environmental lawyer and bid two sites in the urban renewal area, one for housing and the other for the rehabilitation of four 19th century commercial buildings. We were awarded the buildings. We recruited the two largest local commercial banks for the basic acquisition and construction financing. We also obtained several subordinate federal loans and grants for specific improvements and historic preservation purposes. We listed the project in the National Register of Historic Buildings and leased it for office space. We cooperated with the city and closed the block-long frontage street. The city landscaped the area and we requested that it be named “Plaza de Armas,” as this area was named in the original Spanish land grant maps.
In retirement I am still active in consulting with mainly Hispanic activists in forming urban planning solutions for their community problems and aspirations