Why do Metz Park and its attached recreation center have different names?

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Off Canterbury Street in east Austin lies Metz Neighborhood Park, home to a splash pad, pool, playground, sports courts and the future home of the city's upcoming bike polo court.

But despite residing on the same property, an attached recreation center doesn't go by the name "Metz" anymore -- at least, not since Austin City Council action nearly three years ago.

Here's the history behind the name change and why some city properties have undergone similar alterations in recent years.

The history behind Mendez Recreation Center's name

Up until a few years ago, both Metz Neighborhood Park and its attached recreation center went by the same name. However, a July 2018 report from the City of Austin's Equity Office compiled a list of monuments, streets and other city-owned facilities whose names traced back to the Confederacy.

At the time, then-Metz Recreation Center was named a priority site for the city to revisit and re-evaluate. The center had been named after Hamilton M. Metz, a firefighter in Austin who later served with the Confederate Army in the Civil War.

In December 2019, the Austin City Council approved a recommendation advocating for the name change for the facility to the Rodolfo "Rudy" Mendez Recreation Center. That item was later reviewed and approved by Austin City Council in July 2020.

Mendez was born and raised in Austin before studying dance and performance in New York and Spain. He eventually made his way back to Austin, where he dedicated his life to mentorship and dance teaching in east Austin.

"He served the community as a program specialist at Metz Recreation Center, founded Ballet East Dance Company and developed the nationally recognized 'Dare to Dance' program,'" city documents read. "Mendez was devoted to mentoring the youth who danced in his classes and his foklórico classes continue to this day on Saturday mornings at the recreation center."

Mendez passed away in 2019, according to city documents.

The renaming proposal received substantial community support, with 97% of respondents advocating for the name change to honor Mendez.

However, that name change didn't apply to Metz Neighborhood Park or its pool. In a statement to KXAN, a Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson said: "It’s my understanding that a name change would be welcome but that it would need to be changed by the Austin City Council."

What other city-owned facilities have undergone name changes?

The 2018 report from the city's Equity Office noted dozens of roadways, facilities and other city elements with possible Confederacy ties or roots in racial history.

As a result, some of those sites have undergone renamings in recent years.

Austin City Council approved last year renaming Confederate Avenue to Maggie Hayes Street. The name change honors the woman who -- along with prominent Black legislator and her husband, Elias Mayes -- helped found the first school in the Clarksville neighborhood.

Back in 2018, Austin City Council approved changing Robert E. Lee Road to Azie Morton Road, along with renaming Jeff Davis Avenue to William Holland Avenue.

The new street names honor the following historic figures:

• U.S. Treasurer Azie Taylor Morton: the first African American to serve as the nation's treasurer
• William H. Holland: a man originally born into slavery who served in the Union Army during the Civil War before serving on the Travis County Commissioners Court

However, not every facility up for renaming has undergone the process. Last year, Austin City Council debated renaming the Pan American Neighborhood Park to the Tony Castillo/Pan American Neighborhood Park. Castillo was a longtime community advocate, his son told KXAN during the process.

Ultimately, council decided last September to reject the renaming proposal, but added the city would add a plaque to the park honoring Castillo and his legacy.