What's in a street name?
When does a name become irredeemable?
So the city estimates it will cost over $1 million to rename Cesar Chavez Blvd, including the cost of changing the signs and "public engagement" on the name change.
This is a tricky issue. I lived on Clawson Rd in South Austin. Like presumably nearly all of my neighbors, I have know idea who Clawson was and if someone went digging into the history and discovered that he (it was almost certainly a he) was a murderer or rapist or just an all-around dick, I don't think it would necessarily mean the city should go through the trouble of renaming the street. That's because Clawson is no longer attached to this man nobody remembers. It's just a street name.
For what it's worth, I thought renaming Manchaca Road to Menchaca Road was pointless and likely based on faulty history.
On the other hand, it makes sense that the city renamed Robert E. Lee Road. Everybody understands the symbolism of Robert E. Lee and why southern cities like Austin made a point of naming public spaces after Confederate figures during the 1950's and 1960's. The point was to give a middle finger to the Civil Rights movement.
