Victoria’s Street of Ten Friends Gets A Much Deserved Restoration

Commuters on Main Street will be doing a double-take as they pass the Street of Ten Friends historical marker as the City of Victoria and Explore Victoria has renovated and restored one of our cities most notable historical signage.

The updated sign, complete with new landscaping and a renovated walkway is a grand entrance to the heart of Victoria, downtown.

As with many historical stories, the origin of the Victoria's Street of Ten Friends named by our founder, Empressario Martin De Leon, has been debated, but according to the latest Wikipedia entry, the famous Street of Ten Friends on Main Street was originally called Calle de los Diez Amigos (Street of Ten Friends), and named by Martin De Leon after his ten leading citizens he felt he could entrust with the leadership of the Victoria community. Not surprisingly, several of the "friends" were his relatives, including two of his sons.

The ten friends were: Martin De Leon, Fernando De Leon, Silvestre De Leon, Jose Maria Jesus Carbajal, Placido Benavides, Rafael Manchola, Leonardo Manso, Julian de la Garza, Valentino Garcia and Pedro Gellardro.

“The Street of Ten Friends sign is a well-known landmark and the gateway to downtown,” said Joel Novosad, director of the City of Victoria Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This project ties into our mission of welcoming visitors to our city and encouraging residents to take pride and explore Victoria.” Joel offers.

The sign out now is the original. Novosad said his research revealed that the original sign was damaged before the City assumed management of the CVB. The sign was replaced with a replica, repaired, and put in storage. The original sign was created by renowned Victoria artist Tom Jones, who has more than 400 historical paintings, sculptures and other works to his credit. “When I realized that the sign we had in storage was the original Tom Jones sign, I knew we had to give it the place of honor it deserved,” Novosad said.

When was the last time you've driven downtown? Well, that's too long! Go by and see the new Street of Ten Friends landmark today!