Laredo, Texas
Posted by: 
linkys
N 27° 30.000 W 099° 30.287
14R E 450140 N 3041918
Once a City Hall and Market House complex, now a Laredo Center of the Arts.
Waymark Code: WM3CC9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/14/2008
Views: 18
This building dates from the early 1880's when the tripling of the size of Laredo's population fueled by the arrival of the railroads created a relentless demand for expansion in government as well as commerce. The construction of this city hall and market house complex in 1883-84 also led to a rapid shift of community activity away from St. Augustine Plaza, the original center of the city, towards this site some blocks away.
Designed for the modern city of the time, it had offices for the mayor and other city officials, a city council chambers, and even an auditorium. The area around the building on the same block had a set of buildings that served as a market place, providing indoor retail space to merchants who had previously operated from open-air stalls on the site. Later years saw other uses for the building including a library and in 1916-17, temporary quarters for Laredo High School. By 1930 it was converted into office space and an arena for local athletic events and today it serves as the Laredo Center of the Arts. With the emphasis now on preserving buildings from the past, it is fortunate that it wasn't torn down years ago as so many buildings have been in our rush to redevelop areas of our cities, and thus it remains a link to Laredo's late 19th-century culture.
View of building
The raised lettering above the arched door announcing the building was once City Hall still shows.
View of the interior space as it is currently being used.
