No Purple for Cisneros

NO PURPLE FOR CISNEROS

We believe that Sandra Cisneros should not be able to paint her house

purple. Cisneros cannot do this in the King William Historic District or KWHD. There

are rules and obligations that she has to follow. Th First Amendment to the U.S.

Constitution does not apply in this situation.

The background of this case is simple. Sandra Cisneros is a Hispanic who

bought a historic house in the KWHD in San Antonio. She lives on Guenther Street.

KWHD is a district that tries to preserve the houses here and is a nationally registered

historic district. You have to follow the rules for maintaining and renovating the house as

set forth by the San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC).

Cisneros’ house is the cause of controversy because some neighbors filed a complaint

against her to the HDRC because she painted the house Periwinkle Purple. This color is

not a color that matches the other colors of the neighboring houses. The people involved

in this dispute are Sandra Cisneros, Curtis Tunnell of the King William Historic District

Association, Karla Gutierrez who is an opposing neighbor who lives on 212 Guenther

Street and Frank Schmidt who is a supporting neighbor who lives on 305 Guenther

Street. The organizations involved in this dispute are the HDRC, the San Antonio

Conservation Society (S.A.C.S.), the King William Historic District Association, and the

City of San Antonio. The S.A.C.S. should take off the purple on Cisneros’ house and that

will be it.

There is overwhelming evidence against her. During the debate, Curtis

Tunnell said that when Cisneros bought the house she knew that there was a City of San

Antonio law prohibiting the altering of a historic house. Why then did she buy the house

when she had full knowledge of the law? Cisneros