Kress Building, Del Rio,TX

Del Rio has a lovely old Kress Five and Dime building being used as...last I checked, a banquet hall. Since I was a kid I wanted that building. I wanted to take it's floors and dedicate each floor to something creative. First floor, lobby and cafe (coffee shops were not the rage in 1980, even now I'd prefer a cafe to a coffee shop), this would help generate money for the place and organization (loved that noun as a kid). Second floor, art gallery, show space, dancing space (where I used to think I could showcase my ballet. Hey, I was nine and had just seen Isadora). Third floor, art studios so everyone can go and practice or paint or whatever. Fourth floor community radio station. This was where I wanted to be as well. I pictured a cute transmitter atop the Kress building.

All this dream building and idea making was before I even stepped foot in Austin. It was my Lilliputian Utopian dream as a kid. Now too. For some reason I wanted to call it Downtown, Under Ground. At twelve I pictured me and my group of Sidewalk Social Scientist (both a band and movement, taken from the Blondie song 11:59-a B side. I know, I was only twelve though so cut me some slack), hanging out at the cafe thinking up new ways to make Del Rio purty and then going upstairs, via the old restored elevator, to rock out. I was going to release a line of clothing and sell it in a boutique. That would be the old Texas Theatre. I wanted to buy that place and turn it into a store where you could buy everything my friends and I made: clothing, furniture, movies, music, paintings...special place for my grandparents antiques.

When I see the building all the momentum still builds and wells up. UGH!
Still, it's the only ongoing dream I have had, along with raising chickens. As an adult I could see how perfect it would be to have an art building in an old Kress store, he was an uber patron of the arts. I can also see how something like this could revitalize the town. The place needs a more dynamic community. Del Rio needs more art, new ideas and new people coming in and out. This is me talking? This is me talking....