Sandra Cisneros Color Red

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La Casa Morada
In 1996, Sandra Cisneros bought a house in the historic King William neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas. Cisneros made improvements to her home and decided to paint it the color purple. However, her neighbors felt that the color purple did not abide by the housing regulations of the neighborhood and petitioned the local commission to force Cisneros to change the color. I agree that Sandra Cisneros shouldn't be able to keep her house purple.
Likewise, in his article "Purple Politics-Individuality Surrendered for Preservations," Milton Babbitt reports the guidelines set by the Historic and Design Review Commission. Exterior renovations are subject to approval by the HDRC when a historic district is established in order to maintain the appeal and tourism vital. Babbitt asserts that "There are no "approved" colors," or a list, but instead colors must be approved as historically accurate with the time period being conserved. In the case of King William, this would be the first quarter of the twentieth century. Babbitt suggests the that the color purple was not denied, rather a subtle tone available from Sears 1902 catalog was preferred.
Therefore, I agree with Babbitt that Cisneros had …show more content…

I lived in a historic neighborhood with strict guidelines of its own. Owners of the houses in these districts are made aware of the guidelines they have to follow before buying the house. When Cisneros painted her house periwinkle purple she violated these guidelines, even if she was only expressing herself. The tone she picked was too drastic for the neighborhood King William and its early twentieth century houses. To conclude, the purple house should remain purple, but a subtle, appropriate purple that will represent both Tejanos and Germans in the twentieth

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