West End Park and Dance Hall
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Following his service in World War II, Felipe Delgado and his wife, Elisa Saenz Delgado, purchased a lot in 1947 in the West End Subdivision #2, determined to create an entertainment center for the Hispanic community. Felipe worked various jobs including civil service but devoted his spare time to working on the park. A concrete slab was poured for dances and events lit by lanterns and later a hall was built. The hall became a popular destination for concerts, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and quinceañeras. Lydia Mendoza, one of the best-known Spanish-language singers of the Texas-Mexico border region, performed at the West End Dance Hall to large crowds. At times, the concrete platform and the dance hall were converted for use as a skating rink or for boxing matches. Elisa made and sold hamburgers for attendees at dances and baseball games. A large outdoor area accommodated carnivals, picnics and celebrations, and a baseball field with a large grandstand encouraged the love of baseball in the New Braunfels Hispanic community. The West End team was called the Cardinals and later the Lions and played against other New Braunfels and surrounding city teams at the park, as well as teams from Mexico. One of the largest annual events in the park was Diez y Seis de Septiembre, a celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1810 that is observed throughout Texas. Hundreds of citizens and guests would gather in the park for music, food and festivities. The Delgados leased the property in the 1970s and the hall was torn down in the 1980s. Although the hall, cantina and baseball fields are no longer visible, the legacy of the West End Park remains in the community. (2016)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Home from World War II in 1947, Felipe Delgado and his wife Elisa Saenz Delgado bought a lot in New Braunfels and built an entertainment center for the city's Hispanic community. Their dance hall drew concerts, weddings, and quinceañeras—Texas-Mexico border legend Lydia Mendoza sang here—while the grounds hosted boxing, a skating rink, carnivals, and a beloved baseball team, the West End Cardinals. Each September the park filled for Diez y Seis, marking Mexico's independence, until the hall was torn down in the 1980s.
Why it matters
In an era of segregation, community-built gathering places like this gave Mexican American families a stage for their own music, sport, and celebration, sustaining a culture that mainstream venues excluded.
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Related people
- · Felipe Delgado
- · Elisa Saenz Delgado
- · Lydia Mendoza
Themes & tags
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