The building was formerly home to the historically significant University Junior High, which played a pivotal role in the desegregation of Texas public schools by voluntarily integrating in 1957 and contains murals by celebrated Austin muralist Raul Valdez.

The Chicana struggle during the Economy Furniture Strike represents the larger aspirations of economic justice in the East Austin community, and the challenge of all working-class women in Labor movements. Through the difficult experiences of these women, activists of today can find hope in the resolve of Chicanas at Economy Furniture to radically advocate for a better relationship to their labor. 

Preservation Austin is thrilled to share that East Austin’s Green & White Grocery was officially designated a City of Austin Landmark. From the store’s founding during segregation to its endurance in the face of gentrification and increased displacement, the story of Green & White Grocery is a testament to the resilience of Austin’s Mexican American community.

Join our intern Matthew Medina on a tour of the sites associated with the advocacy and organizing of the Austin Chicano Huelga Movement.

In anticipation of Green & White Grocery becoming a City of Austin Historic Landmark this year, we are thrilled to share the work of Fowler Family Underrepresented Heritage Intern, Matthew Medina, and Preservation Austin Board Member, JuanRaymon Rubio, who assisted in the preparation of this landmark application.

In the early 1970s, East Austin was the setting of a two-and-a-half-year-long labor strike by the overwhelming majority Mexican American workforce of the Economy Furniture Industries plant.

The recent rehabilitation of East Austin’s Frias Grocery Store by an Austin resident is a great example of how to sensitively meld business, residential, and cultural goals while honoring the surrounding community.

Santa Rita Courts: How Austin’s Mexican American Community became some of the first in the nation to live in public housing.