Bene Medina and owner Gilbert Garcia outside of Lerma's Nite Club (Photo by Steven Gilmore)
Today, Preservation Texas, Inc. named Lerma's Night Club to their 2014 list of Texas' Most Endangered Places. First opened in 1951, Lerma's hosted SA's vibrant Tejano Conjunto music scene until the summer of 2010. City code inspectors visited the strip center in the 1600 block of North Zaramora in July of 2010, forcing its closure for several code violations.
Shortly after, the San Antonio Conservation Society and the Westside Development Corporation procured a grant for Lerma's from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, beginning the campaign to restore the iconic club. In its heyday, Lerma's hosted artists such as Bene Medina Eva Ybarra, Henry Zimmerle, Valerio Longoria, and Esteban “Steve” Jordan on a weekly basis. For due treatment of Lerma's history, visit Nicole Chavez' piece in the Current from 2010.
"The sites are cultural, architectural and historic icons that are at imminent risk of disappearing from the landscape," said Evan Thompson, executive director of Preservation Texas. "Local grassroots organizations have been working tirelessly in support of these sites. By including them on the 2014 list, we hope to rally Texans statewide to step up and save them by supporting job-creating investments in our state's at-risk historic places."
Along with Lerma's, the Port Isabel Yacht Club Hotel, El Paso's Old Fort Bliss and nine other sites were named to the 2014 list.
