“LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse Community Harvest” Workshop Will Collect Family Archives and Oral Histories in Houston
HOUSTON (May 20, 2026) — Latinos in Heritage Conservation and LULAC Council 60 Inc. will host a free “Council 60 Clubhouse Community Harvest” workshop on Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Heritage Society, 1100 Bagby Street, inviting community members to contribute photographs, letters, memorabilia, oral histories, and personal archives connected to Houston Latino civil rights history.
The workshop is part of broader efforts to stabilize, restore, and reactivate the historic LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse, one of the nation’s most significant Latino heritage landmarks.
Community leaders, preservation advocates, and Latino civil-rights historians have continued highlighting the urgent need to preserve the 1907 Midtown Houston building, which served as the primary organizing site for Mexican American civic and political leadership during the 1950s and 1960s.
From inside the walls of the Council 60 Clubhouse, the national organization challenged racism—both legally and culturally—for the equality of Latinos living in the United States. From the Clubhouse, Mexican American leaders helped launch initiatives that later evolved into Project Head Start, SER–Jobs for Progress, the desegregation of schools, and the National LULAC Housing Commission. LULAC materials gathered during the workshop will help support broader efforts to document, preserve, and interpret the landmark’s legacy for future generations while ensuring community memory remains central to the preservation process.
For Minnette Boesel, former board president of The Heritage Society and a longtime preservation leader who helped curate the 2023–24 exhibit “A Civil Rights Milestone: President JFK’s Visit with LULAC in Houston,” the workshop is an opportunity to keep community voices and personal materials at the center of the preservation process.
“The Community Harvest is intended to center community voices and materials in the preservation process,” Boesel said.
Speakers and partners emphasized that restoring the Clubhouse is both a preservation project and a civic responsibility. Sehila Mota Casper, executive director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, explained that community-driven archiving helps ensure history remains connected to the people who lived it.
“This kind of community-driven archiving ensures that everyday stories and family records are preserved alongside institutional records,” Mota Casper said. “It keeps history rooted in the people who lived it.”
Alison Bell, executive director of The Heritage Society, said, “Our ‘Mexican American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston’ mural is a living map of our community’s history. Having the LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse depicted there — and hosting the Community Harvest nearby — makes this the perfect place to gather and preserve the memories and artifacts that tell Latino history and heritage stories.”
Restoration Efforts Continue During National Preservation Month
Earlier this month, AIA Houston and C 60, Inc. hosted a standing-room-only program on Cinco de Mayo at the historic LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse to outline restoration plans, honor the site’s civil-rights legacy, and announce the Community Harvest initiative.
Community leaders, preservation advocates, and Latino civil-rights historians gathered at the site to highlight the urgent need to stabilize and restore one of the nation’s most significant Latino heritage landmarks.
Preservation partners will continue collaborating throughout National Preservation Month and beyond to repair the structure’s historic fabric and return the clubhouse to active community use.
For more information about the event, please visit https://givebutter.com/Council60Harvest or contact info@latinoheritage.us.
Event Information
What: “Council 60 Clubhouse Community Harvest” Workshop
When: Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: The Heritage Society, (Tea Room) 1100 Bagby Street, Houston, TX 77002
RSVP: https://givebutter.com/Council60Harvest
Community members and LULACers are invited to bring photographs, letters, memorabilia, oral histories, and personal archives connected to the historic LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse and Houston Latino history. Free parking is available at 212 Dallas Street.
About the LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse
The LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse, built in 1907 and acquired by LULAC Council 60 in 1955, served as a central organizing site for Mexican American political and civic activity in Houston during the 1950s and 1960s. From this Midtown building, leaders helped launch programs that later evolved into Project Head Start, SER–Jobs for Progress, and the National LULAC Housing Commission. The clubhouse is one of two National Trust for Historic Preservation landmarks in Houston.
About Latinos in Heritage Conservation
Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing historic preservation in Latinx communities through education, advocacy, and leadership. LHC works to ensure that Latinx histories, places, and cultural contributions are recognized, protected, and celebrated as an essential part of the American narrative.
