De Leon Plaza
Victoria, Victoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Originally called "Plaza De la Constitucion" by Martin De Leon, the founder of Victoria, this square was included as part of an early 1830s survey of Victoria by Jose M. Carbajal, son-in-law of De Leon. Carbajal's survey expanded on the founder's basic design for the city, which followed the style of traditional Spanish municipalities. A water well lined with brick was placed in the center of the square in 1850. By 1872 a windmill stood over the well; twelve years later it was replaced by a standpipe. Other improvements included a bandstand in the 1870s, hitching racks in 1897; a Confederate memorial status, "Last Stand" by Pompeo Coppini, dedicated in 1912; and lamp standards in 1923. In that year the standpipe was removed and the bandstand was relocated to the center of the plaza. Sidewalks were added by the Public Works Administration in the 1930s. Through the efforts of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the site was renamed De Leon Plaza as part of a plaza beautification project in 1941. As a gathering place, summer concert arena, exposition site, and town center, De Leon Plaza continues to serve the people of Victoria as it has for generations. The plaza stands as a reminder of the rich heritage of the city and its founder. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Laid out by Martín De León, the empresario who founded Victoria in the 1820s, this square began life as the Plaza de la Constitución, patterned on the central plazas of traditional Spanish municipalities. His son-in-law José M. Carbajal expanded the plan in an 1830s survey, and over the decades the square gained a brick-lined well, a windmill, a bandstand, and Pompeo Coppini's 1912 Confederate memorial. In 1941 the United Daughters of the Confederacy led a beautification effort that renamed it De León Plaza in honor of the city's founder.
Why it matters
De León Plaza preserves the Hispanic town-planning roots of Texas, a reminder that Mexican empresarios shaped the state's earliest municipalities before the Republic and statehood.
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Related people
- · Martin De Leon
- · Jose M. Carbajal
- · Pompeo Coppini
Themes & tags
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