After a decade of disagreement and litigation, activists who successfully fought for a park next to the historic Hays Street Bridge are demanding credit be given to the man who rescued it from demolition and spearheaded its restoration.
Church being renovated as Black history museum Slowed by the pandemic and discoveries of a concrete foundation and underground storage tank, the park is still under construction. It will include a skate park, covered pavilion, walking paths and restrooms. But the historical text planned for the park needed a reboot — starting with Steadman, a civil and structural engineer who was the biggest champion of the bridge and park — said 15 people who addressed the commission.
Julius Whittier’s trailblazing path to Texas began on East Side Also omitted in the signage, Houston said, were the new park’s namesakes, Berkley V. and Vincent M. Dawson, brothers who, as officials of beer distributor BudCo, donated land by the bridge to the city in 2007. Some said the proposed signage contained inaccuracies about the history of the bridge and surrounding neighborhoods.