Category Archives: Community

Sense of Place, Part 1

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines sense of place as: Those things that add up to a feeling that a community is a special place, distinct from anywhere else. We don’t know of any “thing” that contributes more to a sense of place than the people who live there and the stories they share. In 2009, when Cynthia Beeman, then-board member of the Texas Oral History Association, presented us with the Mary Faye Barnes … Read more

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Stopping by Crestview Shopping Center

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

For more than 60 years, the Crestview Shopping Center has been part of our community. A. B. Beddow and Ray Yates, developers of the Crestview neighborhood, built it in 1952. This week, we share a few stories about the center and some of the special people who have worked there and keep it thriving. We’ve also added links to the businesses that have websites and to related stories on our website. (Many also have tiles … Read more

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Remembering J. D. Harper of Crestview Pharmacy

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

J. D. Harper, 77, owner of Crestview Pharmacy since 1964, passed away May 11, 2012. His sons Jerry and David continued managing this original Crestview Shopping Center business, which opened in the early 1950s, until February 28, 2017. In April 2004, historian and Brentwood neighbor John Leffler and I talked with Mr. Harper in one of the booths at the pharmacy (once part of a popular soda fountain there). In the interview, Mr. Harper shares … Read more

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Common Ground of Community

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

In early 2003, when a small group of us neighbors (soon to become the nonprofit Violet Crown Community Works) envisioned the very first Violet Crown Festival, the heart of the event was clear: See that Jean Graham’s mosaic Wall of Welcome becomes a reality. Celebrate the Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods, which we see as sharing many common concerns and goals. Bring together all elements of the community—individuals of all ages, schools, neighborhood associations, community groups, … Read more

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The Kind of Neighborhood It Is, Part 2

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

In 2010, we interviewed members of the Friends of Brentwood Park leadership team shortly before the group’s historic planting of 115 trees that November. Among them was Denman Glober, who defined synergy as: The abilities and interactions between group members that build on each other and lead to accomplishing a greater goal. Since FOBP officially adopted Brentwood Park in Summer 2009, the group has accomplished a lot—tree planting and dedication; neighborhood survey and park master … Read more

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The Kind of Neighborhood It Is, Part 1

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

When I heard about Crestview Neighborhood Association’s Volunteer Appreciation Party, coming up on April 9, 2012, it got me thinking about all the different ways people contribute to our community. Don Gresser and his wife, Gladys, had lived in Crestview for 61 years when we interviewed them in March 2009. In telling us about their lives, more than once they mentioned how they volunteered for one project or another. For many years, they helped distribute … Read more

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Lowdown on the W.O.W. and More, Part 2

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

“People are the real heart of this neighborhood’s history,” narrator Howard Bennett says in our film A Community Mosaic. “Our community has more stories than there are mosaic pieces on our amazing Wall of Welcome.” Curious to learn more about Brentwood and Crestview, we began gathering stories from neighbors through our project Voices of the Violet Crown. We’re grateful to all who shared them, especially those who had helped with the mosaic wall. (Check out … Read more

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Lowdown on the W.O.W. and More, Part 1

Posted on March 21, 2012 by

Seems like only yesterday! Late March is highlighted by anniversaries of a few historic—yet very recent—Brentwood/Crestview events. On the evening of March 25, 2008, with little fanfare, Jean Graham completed the mosaic Wall of Welcome (W.O.W.), left, on Woodrow Avenue in Austin. For Jean, it was the culmination of more than five years of creative focus—designing the wall, raising funds, researching neighborhood history, crafting mosaics, leading tile-making workshops for neighbors, and spending two years installing … Read more

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Blooming Where You’re Planted, Part 1

Posted on February 17, 2012 by

Even the most seasoned meteorologists missed it. A dry winter was predicted at the end of 2011, which was the driest year on record in Texas. Instead, surprise winter rains have brought some long-absent green back to Brentwood and Crestview. It’s still early, but spring’s on its way, and we’re turning more of our attention to our local greenscape. Community events by Friends of Brentwood Park, Sunshine Community Gardens, and Urban Patchwork Neighborhood Farms are … Read more

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More Than Sunday-Go-To-Meeting, Part 2

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

Churches in Brentwood and Crestview continue to be a vital part of our neighborhood’s history and sense of community. I first gathered information about the churches for exhibits when I coordinated the Community Tent early on at the Violet Crown Festival here in Austin. More recently, Rob and I discovered that many of the people we interviewed for our oral history project have longtime connections with churches here. They have been among the people most … Read more

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