|
For more information please contact: Mike Miller | (512) 974-7480
January 13, 2010
Relief, Recovery & Progress: The Great Depression and the New Deal in Austin
The Austin History Center’s new exhibit, Relief, Recovery & Progress: The Great Depression and the New Deal in Austin opens on Tuesday, February 16 and runs through July 11, 2010. This exhibit explores 1930s Austin, how the Depression had a lasting impact on our community, and what lessons can be learned as the country grapples with the current economic woes. It is on display in the lobby and Grand Hallway at the AHC, 810 Guadalupe St. The opening reception for the exhibit takes place on Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. For more information please call 512-974-7480 or visit www.cityofaustin.org/library.
Please join us for two programs taking place in conjunction with the exhibit. Learn about the buildings of the day with a 2 hour Walking Tour of 1930s Architecture starting at the AHC, 810 Guadalupe St., on Saturday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. Enjoy tunes from the times with Music of the Great Depression featuring Guy Forsyth at the Sweet Home Baptist Church, 1725 West 11th Street., on Saturday, May 8 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. These programs are co-sponsored by the Austin History Center and the Austin History Center Association.
The economic recession gripping the United States has many eerie similarities to the Great Depression. Each coincided or began with a precipitous moment: the 1929 Stock Market crash “began” the Great Depression and the mortgage crisis was the defining moment of the current recession. Both began during a Republican Administration (Hoover, Bush) that would be replaced by a Democratic Administration in the next Presidential election (Roosevelt, Obama). Both incoming Democratic administrations addressed the economy with massive federal spending initiatives (New Deal legislation, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act). These apparent similarities between that time and ours seem to pose the question “How did Austin survive the Great Depression?”
Not only did Austin survive the Depression, in some ways it can be said that Austin came out ahead. Austin was able to take advantage of the New Deal dollars flowing out of Washington DC. In fact, Austin received more federal dollars for unemployment relief and public works than any other Texas city. This influx of dollars resulted in many lasting and iconic changes to Austin and its built environment. The “alphabet soup” agencies such as the CCC and the WPA that grew out of Roosevelt’s New Deal became a bulwark against a slide into more dire circumstances. The buildings and bridges, dams and domiciles, streets and signature improvements accomplished during those years became critical to Austin’s continued flourishing. Experiencing the impact of the 1930s on our city may leave us wondering what Austin will be like when our current economic troubles also pass into history.
###
Please direct press inquiries to:
| (512) 974-7379
Public Information Specialist
Austin Public Library
|
