The Roma Historic District was created in 1972, and is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
The district encompasses most of downtown, from roughly US 83 on the east to the Rio Grande on the west, and from West Garfield Ave on the North to West Bravo Street (the road leading to the Roma- Cd. Miguel Aleman International Bridge) on the south.
Most of the buildings in the district were built by late 19th-century local architect Heinrich Portscheller, who has a street named for him downtown and a historic marker in his honor, both located in this historic district.
The Pablo Ramirez House is listed as a contributing building to this National Register Historic District.
From the US National Register Nomination Form on the Texas Historical Commission website: (
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"6. Pablo Ramirez House (now the Knights of Columbus Hall) 1884. This building is a two-story stucco-covered brick structure designed by Enrique Portscheller."
More information on this historic structure from the City of Roma TX National Historic Landmark Nomination Form: (
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32)Pablo Ramírez House/13th Cavalry Branch Headquarters/
Knights of Columbus Hall [Contributing: Map Ref. #51]
Enrique Portscheller, Builder
901 Estrella Street
Block 31, Lot 5
1884
The Pablo Ramírez compound located on the southwest corner of
Estrella and Zaragoza Streets appears to be one of the most
intact and best maintained 19th-century properties in Roma. By
1894, eight-foot high brick walls enclosed its lot on three
sides, with the main dwelling at the north property line creating
an enclosed rear courtyard. An oversized gateway arch (about 12
feet high) highlights the southeast courtyard wall. The ell-plan
residence features a rectangular two-story main unit (streetside
along Estrella) and a rectangular one-story rear wing to the
northwest. In the angle between the two wings a two-story
arcaded gallery lends an unusual level of sophistication to
architect Portscheller's design. Of brick construction with flat
tile-brick roof, the dwelling also featured a wrought-iron
balcony wrapping around the corner facades along Estrella and
Zaragoza, and wrought-iron railings in the bays of the rear
arcade. The original interior plan is unknown.
By 1925, a woodframe shed on the lot had been removed, replaced by a one-story brick square-plan structure inside the southeast property wall near the entry into the rear courtyard.
On the ground floor the front wing is divided (southeast/
northwest) by a brick wall into two rooms, with the rear wing
also divided (northeast/southwest) into two rooms by a wooden
partition. Originally both units of the ell-plan opened onto the
elaborate rear arcade. A central wooden stair leads to the
second floor of the main wing, which is divided by wooden
partitions into three rooms. Chimneys accent the northwest end
of the front wing and the southwest end of the original rear wing
(now interior). Interior spatial changes are likely reflective
of the structure's conversion from a residence to a public hall,
first as headquarters for the 13th Cavalry Branch, and then as a
meeting place for the Knights of Columbus.
The ell plan of the Pablo Ramírez house is similar to that of the
Tino Ramírez house on the plaza, with the orientation of both
Ramírez dwellings appearing to take advantage of prevailing
breezes up the Río Grande. Design for the Pablo Ramírez house is
similar to both the Tino Ramírez and Manuel Guerra houses.
Enrique Portscheller designed all three of these large walled
compounds in the same period, with each built of local brick and
molded brick. Like the plaza dwellings, the Pablo Ramírez house
has an angled corner entrance and a concentration of design
effects on the street facades of its main wing. These facades
are in a two-part composition divided by a decorative wroughtiron
balcony. Regularly spaced windows and doors on both floors
are set in slightly recessed panels. Windows are crowned with
Doric entablatures and doors are framed by Doric orders using
molded brick. The proportions and details of the second floor
ornamentation are taller and sharper, creating a sense of balance
and hierarchy. Both street facades are capped by a cornice of
molded brick, and the angled corner is topped by a pediment with
the year "1884" in shallow relief. The side wall of the gallery
is crowned by a diamond-corbelled cornice, with the rear gallery
detailed by three arches on the ground floor and four on the
floor above. The original wrought-iron stair to the gallery has
been replaced by a modern iron spiral staircase. Both the
Estrella and Zaragoza facades feature banquetas with steps to the
street at their termini. With the exception of some
deterioration of a stone course at the base of the building, the
dwelling is in good condition."