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Editor’s note: The Advocate will feature columns about the Cultural Council of Victoria periodically during the 30th anniversary celebration this year.

“Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Jesus Victoria” was the original name of our city. It has been translated a number of different ways, but I prefer the Spanish Roman Catholic symbolism of “Our Lady of Guadalupe of Jesus Victorious.”

Now known to us simply as Victoria, the city was built in classical Spanish style around a plaza that would serve as a central meeting place for the community.

To this day Deleon Plaza is considered the heart of old Victoria and the traditional home of the financial and legal communities.

Main Street, originally called the Calle de los Deiz Amigos, the Street of the Ten Friends, served as one side of the plaza, and, as today's name implies, the main street in the city. Banks and shops, saloons and offices lined the street and spread out through what we now think of as old downtown Victoria, representing the heart of the city its history and its culture.

I can remember when downtown really was the heart of our city. It was home to a vibrant night life with all the indoor movie theaters as well as restaurants, shops and professional offices. Over the years the city built away from the gradually aging downtown, taking the heart of Victoria north until the old downtown district became a ghost town after dark.

Abandoned but not forgotten, downtown has stayed in the hearts of many Victorians. The City of Victoria, in its long range master plan, targeted the historic downtown area for revitalization.

In a wonderful synergy, the Victoria Performing Arts Center board, in conjunction with the Cultural Council of Victoria and Theatre Victoria, formulated a plan to create a performing arts center in old Victoria.

From their planning and dedication, we now have the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre Victoria has the home of its dreams, and Victoria has a performing arts center we can all be proud of. The Victoria City Council and mayor are to be commended for their continuing commitment to the downtown revitalization through their support of the Cultural Council. The Cultural Council of Victoria manages the rental of the facility to the arts community and general public and ensures fair and equal access for all.

The response to the new facility has been encouraging. Downtown Victoria is once again becoming a focal point for evening entertainment and activities. And as the public returns so do the businesses that cater to them. We are witnessing the rebirth of the cultural heart of Victoria and it is a wonderful event to behold.

 

Don Truman was a past chairman of the Cultural Council of Victoria.