Lerma's Nite club, known as the oldest Conjunto music venue in the country, has been named one of the "most endangered places" in the state.
Preservation Texas included Lerma's, located at 1612 N. Zarzamora, on its annual list of the most endangered places in the Lone Star State.
The group unveiled its 2014 list during a press conference in Austin on Tuesday.
"Oh, this would be irreplaceable," said Susana Segura, a member of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. "There's no way San Antonio could build another museum or structure that would highlight what Lerma's has given back to the community."
The Esperanza Center owns Lerma's and is leading a $2.2 million fundraising campaign to save the club.
Established in the 1940s, Lerma's was once alive with music played by well-known musicians and enjoyed by the working-class community, said Segura.
But the club was forced to close in 2010 due to fire code violations.
Segura hopes being one of 12 places named to this year's endangered list will help bring in the donations needed to restore and reopen the night club.
"Well, it is a lot of money," said Segura. "But money is very little compared to the culture that would be destroyed and the history that would be no longer here as a reminder to the community."
So far, the Esperanza Center has received $230,000 in donations to save Lerma's.
Preservation Texas will also be awarding the group money for its cause, according to Segura, but they are waiting to find out the amount.
To learn more about the campaign to save Lerma's, visit www.savelermas.org.
For a list of recent stories Myra Arthur has done, click here.