Homemade History. Las Manitas, the Pérez sisters, and a usable past. Austin, Texas

“As Congress Avenue is Austin’s Main Street, Las Manitas is our main street cafe – the hangout where everyone in town meets, greets, exchanges gossip, and maintains the ties that bind. If Las Manitas does indeed qualify as a “cultural landmark,” perhaps this is why. In its own funky “Keep Austin Weird” way, it achieves the very goals championed by urban planners. Consider, for example, a thoughtful urban planning guide commissioned by the city – “Heritage Austin: A Community-Based Vision.” It addresses the precise issue raised by pending redevelopment of the Las Manitas block: How can we best develop downtown Austin while preserving our city’s unique character?”

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