Colony Park: A Brief History
Colony Park neighborhood was once a thriving community; a place where residents enjoyed the sprawling hills and the view of the capitol. Annexed in 1972, Colony Park and surrounding neighborhoods were built to accommodate families stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base (1942–1993), a United States Air Force base that was located seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. Other families moved to the Colony Park community to start families and enjoy the quiet landscape, and new affordable homes. Longtime resident Barbara Scott moved to Austin’s Colony Park because there were new homes and it was affordable. Another longtime resident, Helen Miller, remembers the landscape and how beautiful everything was. You could see the capitol from here. They both recall Colony Park was a place where you could enjoy a walk, talk to neighbors and just enjoy the quiet beauty of it all.
In the 1960’s, several factors contributed to the expansion East; 1) urban renewal, 2) major companies moving to Austin, 3) 1964 and 1968 Civil Rights Acts, 4) major real estate development companies building track homes in East Austin rather than single lot development, 5) and redlining of the Historical Negro District and limited home ownership opportunities West of Interstate Highway 35 (IH-35). Movement toward what is now Colony Park may have resulted in part because of the “loosening of the reigns and the declaration of slum conditions” from the historic Negro District.
Urban Renewal Projects and adjacent communities were focused on the removal of slum and blighted conditions, which resulted in many dwellings being demolished and the displacement of individuals and families. As a matter of clarity, some have seen “gentrification” as an outgrowth of urban renewal. Some in Austin believe the imposition of urban renewal policies and practices only achieved the re-institution and re-establishment of the City of Austin 1928 Plan, where there was no real or achieved equal representation nor modern or diversified communities.
During this same period, major companies moved to Austin, such as IBM around 1967; Texas Instruments in 1969; and, Motorola coming later in 1974. Employment opportunities for African Americans increased with these companies thus allowing for increased incomes and the ability to move beyond Central East Austin and the historically designated Negro districts of the past. With the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1968 Civil Rights Fair. Housing Act, together, these two Civil Rights legislative actions helped open doors for equal opportunities for all people of color.
A TROUBLING PAST
Like many cities in the United Sates, Austin had to come up with a plan to deal with their unique history of Freedman’s communities that were, for all intense and purposes, scattered throughout its geographical area and surrounding borders, but separated and unequal. Populated by mostly blacks, these Freedman’s communities had separate schools, hospitals, barbershops, businesses and churches. “Pressures stemming for the expansion and growth of Austin during the early 1920’s, the City government had to decide whether expansion and growth would include the Freedman’s communities.” The City’s White elite and influential class therefore commissioned engineers, Koch and Fowler to design a plan to deal with the “Negro problem.”Thus the master plan was formally adopted, and along with government city officials and the influential cultural elite, oversaw the engineering plans to ensure segregated placements of freed slaves and Mexican Americans East of I-35.
DECADES OF NEGLECT
Impacted by the segregationist document, the City Plan of 1928, Colony Park and Lakeside, the Northeast Austin communities remain landlocked to the north with residents having to travel several miles in order to receive medical attention, buy groceries, or attend to their banking needs. Transportation is problematic where those using buses to get to and from their place of employment; lack consistency and destination reliability. There is a lack of code enforcement, with weeds growing as high as two feet in some places, trash and dumping, and other major violations. Most often, the neighborhoods are unsafe. Everything from criminal activity; such as, drugs, gangs, and break-ins exist in the community.
THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN
The Colony Park Neighborhood Association along with other community members and organizations are still fighting for equality, a decent home, and a vibrant and safe community, a place to grow old and preserve for the next generation.