A NEW LIFE FOR CASA NAVARRO

The courtyard at Casa Navarro.

There's an oasis surrounded by concrete in the heart of downtown San Antonio. You may have driven by it countless times and never realized it was there. The city's police headquarters and jail loom on either side, casting their shadows across the white adobe and caliche walls.

The oasis is Casa Navarro, and it was at 228 S. Laredo Street long before its law enforcement neighbors showed up.

I first wrote about Casa Navarro back in February when it reopened after more than a year of restoration. I’ve been back several times since then, most recently last Tuesday evening.

Free parking AND free admission!

You may know that San Antonio has started an initiative called Downtown Tuesday, offering free parking at city lots/garages and specials at participating restaurants and other venues. The powers that be hope that this will bring more locals downtown, and I think it’s a fabulous idea.

So does Casa Navarro. They offer free admission from 4-8 p.m. on Tuesdays, and as luck would have it, there’s a city-run parking lot directly in front of it.

As the sign says, the magnificent tile mural will soon grace the wall outside
of Casa Navarro.

The steel frame for Jesse Treviño's tile mural. You can see photos
of the mural in progress at my blog post in February.

Several visitors dropped in while I was there, but I’d love to see more … and of course, so would the historical site’s director, Maureen “Mo” Brown. She’s made the courtyard so inviting; I know it has the potential for bigger and better things.

Music, perhaps? Being the Groovy Gringa, you know that has my vote.

Let me know what you think. And even better, why not come down some Tuesday evening and check it out for yourself? I may just see you there.

Looks inviting, doesn't it?