Unity, Building Community, and Civil Rights: LULAC Hall, 234 N. Grant Avenue
What is “LULAC?”
LULAC stands for the League of United Latin American Citizens. Mexican American residents of Corpus Christi, Texas founded LULAC in February 1929 as a civil rights advocacy organization to address racial discrimination, political disenfranchisement, and racial segregation. The organization grew to become the largest and oldest civil rights organization for Hispanic Americans in the United States. The organization and its chapters around the country took actions small and large in the cause for civil rights. Nationally, they led legal actions that resulted in landmark cases to root out racial discrimination, especially in public schools, such as Hernandez v. Driscoll Consolidated ISD in 1957 (outside Corpus Christi) that ended racial discrimination in Texas public schools, and the Supreme Court case Hernandez v. State of Texas that ended racial discrimination against Hispanic Americans, specifically protecting the right of Hispanic Americans to serve on juries.
Here in Fort Collins, local residents including William Lopez, Richard Maxwell and Joe Gutierrez, founded a LULAC chapter in 1969 that was similarly involved in civil rights advocacy, challenging local authorities on the issues of school, employment, and housing discrimination, and engaging in community-building work. Formed in early 1969, Fort Collins’ LULAC members immediately challenged the school district for an equitable share of construction funds for new schools in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods. They challenged the City of Fort Collins on multiple cases of police brutality. They also co-hosted events with community groups to raise awareness about Mexican American and broader Latino/Chicano culture and its importance in American history.
In its first few months LULAC held meetings at the Holy Family Church parish hall on North Whitcomb Street or the Knights of Columbus Hall on North Meldrum Street. However, by 1970 they had acquired the former Second (or Westside) Presbyterian Church at 234 North Grant Avenue and officially re-titled it the LULAC Hall. Here, the chapter held regular meetings, organized events and demonstrations and provided a community hall for local residents of all ages to come and socialize. In June 1970, the chapter hosted candidates of the La Raza Party (also known as La Raza Unida) running for local District Attorney and Colorado Governor. La Raza formed in 1970 in Texas and quickly spread throughout the country in an attempt to present a third-party option for Mexican Americans.
The later history of the LULAC Hall is unclear, but by 1980 the hall had been sold and renovated into a six-unit condominium. The building remains on its historic location in the neighborhood, albeit with a different look than its former life as a hub of civil rights activity.
(Photo: LULAC Hall, 1975, Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.)
