Esperanza Peace and Justice Center breaks ground for Las Tiendas de Lerma’s

 

A 3-D color view of the front of a restored Lerma's Nite Club.
This color rendering shows how a restored Lerma’s could look.

 

Lerma’s Nite Club, which closed in July 2010, achieved its fame as the longest running live conjunto music venue in Central and South Texas.  Located at 1612 Zarzamora Street on the Westside, the building faced demolition until concerned advocates came together to preserve it.  Lerma’s received local landmark designation and was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to Hispanic cultural heritage.  But the building that housed Lerma’s needed renovation before it could serve the local community again.

The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center currently owns Lerma’s and serves as its caretaker.  They have been “working diligently to do all our pre-construction environmental work, finish our construction documents, and to fundraise from public and private funds to get the building up and running as a vibrant cultural space.”  On July 15, 2019, Esperanza held a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the long-anticipated rehabilitation project.

Read the press release.

Congratulations to Esperanza for reaching this latest milestone!  The renovation of Lerma’s Nite Club, a beloved Westside cultural landmark, represents an ongoing labor of love.

Community supporters hold signs reading, "Esta lugar es importante - This place matters," in front of Lerma's Nite Club.
Lerma’s: Este Lugar Es Importante – This Place Matters!

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