Enrique M. Barrera Community Center
5800 Old Highway 90 West
The Enrique M. Barrera Community Center encompasses the western portion of the building located at 5800 Old U.S. Highway 90 West, in what used to be the Levi Strauss & Co. sewing plant.
The request to name the community center for former Councilmember Enrique Barrera came from District 6 Councilwoman Delicia Herrera. Mr. Barrera was appointed to the City Council in 2000 after Jose Menendez was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. He later won popular election for two terms, serving until 2005. Mr. Barrera was an ordained deacon at San Fernando Cathedral. He also served on the Edgewood Independent School District Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1990. He served n the board of the Bexar County Mental Health and Mental Retardation from 1982 to 1985 and the San Antonio Development Agency from 1980 to 1982. He died of cancer at age 69 in 2006.
The City of San Antonio acquired the former Levi Strauss and Co. buildings and 58.9 acres in 2004 to serve as the operations headquarters for the Parks and Recreation Department and to establish a new community center. City Council approved the $3.3 million purchase on June 6, 2004.
In January 2006 a previous contract with Beaty Palmer Architects, Inc. was amended to provide architectural plans for the building at a cost of $590,602. In May 2007, City Council approved a construction contract with Wallace L. Boldt, General Contractor, Inc., to make improvements to the building at a cost of $5 million.
Levi Strauss & Co. opened its plant at this location in 1977 and about 800 employees produced four million pairs of jeans annually at this location for 27 years. The company also operated a 20,000 square foot finishing plant at 5827 Old Highway 90 West, employing 650 people and a seeing plant on South Zarzamora where 1,115 people were employed until it closed in April 1990.