Conservation Success Stories

What a pleasure it is to have come across LHC! As an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Puerto Rico’s classical music history, it is truly a relief to find LHC in an environment that often feels very siloed.

At Proyecto Olga Iglesias (501c3), our mission is to safeguard and celebrate Puerto Rico’s rich classical music legacy. Our musical heritage extends beyond plena, bomba, salsa, and reggaeton; many people are unaware that Puerto Rico was the classical music capital of the Western Hemisphere in the 1960s and 1970s. This was largely thanks to one of the most important classical musicians of the 20th century, Pablo Casals (half Boricua, half Catalan), who made San Juan his home in his later years. A two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, cellist, and composer, Casals selected Olga Iglesias as the primary soprano for his magnum opus, the Catalan oratorio El Pessebre, as well as for his art songs. Find…

Hello, I wanted to share a conservation success story from the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

Last year, the Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School was restored and saved from demolition. Locally, the city of McAllen put a hold on demolition, giving investors time to find and restore the building.

From the Historical Marker: THEODORE ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL McALLEN WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1904 AND A SMALL “COMMON” SCHOOL SERVED THE COMMUNITY. THE TOWN WAS INCORPORATED IN 1911 AND McALLEN COMMON SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS FORMED IN 1915. THE McALLEN SCHOOL BOARD BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OF A SCHOOL THAT WOULD SERVE THE HISPANIC POPULATION. THE SCHOOL, NAMED AFTER THEODORE ROOSEVELT, THE 26TH PRESIDENT, OPENED IN JANUARY 1921. AN ANNEX DESIGNED BY RALPH CAMERON OF SAN ANTONIO WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1927. ITS UNIQUE PRE-COLUMBIAN INDIAN TRIM WAS ORIGINALLY UNPAINTED. ZARA THIGPEN WAS THE PRINCIPAL, SERVING FROM 1921 UNTIL THE SCHOOL CLOSED IN THE 1960s. THE…