AUSTIN, Texas — Fiesta Gardens at Edward Rendon Sr. Metropolitan Park is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Celebrated for its historical significance, Fiesta Gardens joins other properties listed at National Register status in the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.
Fiesta Gardens is located on the northeast shore of Lady Bird Lake and was opened to the public as an entertainment complex in 1966. The complex serves as an event space, hosting music festivals and other community-based events.
The complex, designed by architect William C. Holmans, includes several buildings, a designed tropical landscape, a hiking trail with scenic overlooks and spectator seating overlooking a man-made lagoon.
Fiesta Gardens was a popular water-based event center from the time it opened. Later, under city ownership, it expanded to serve as home base for the city’s annual Austin Aqua Festival, Austin Boat Club races and other civic and community events.
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The site was pivotal in shaping the development of the northern shore of Lady Bird Lake, according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD).
The property has also been acknowledged for its association with community organizing efforts by the Hispanic community to prevent the displacement of East Austin residents for facility expansion through the early 1970s.
“Fiesta Gardens is a groundbreaking nomination for PARD and the recognition for community planning and development, as well as social history, makes it a unique listing," said Kim McKnight, Environmental Conservation Program Manager at Austin PARD. " We are proud to have this history recorded and recognized.”
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources deemed worthy of preservation. Currently, there are more than 3,300 listings in Texas that have been registered as historic.
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