Landrum House — Landrum House owners Diana and Jesus Arriaga glance over an exhibit at the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum last Saturday. They attended a question-and-answer session hosted by San Benito Municipal Historian Jose Carlos with Brownsville Historic Preservation Manager Juan M. Velez as guest speaker. Mr. Velez is seated on the left. (Courtesy photo/Albert Villegas)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
San Benito may have more existing buildings designated as historical state landmarks in the future, provided landowners can meet the various criteria.
This was the opinion of Brownsville Historic Preservation Manager Juan M. Velez, who has been at his post since 2016, and was a guest speaker at the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum last Saturday.
Driving through San Benito along Sam Houston Boulevard and one street like Stenger, for example, he saw potential.
“I found 20 buildings that could be national or state markers, and I found a little gas station that is a classic,” Velez said.
It wasn’t immediately known what, if any, exterior or interior enhancements were done to the buildings, he noted. If significant changes weren’t made, it would prevent an edifice from being considered historic.
“Here in San Benito, there could be hundreds of houses and buildings that could request consideration,” he said.
Velez, who was raised in Spain before moving to the Rio Grande Valley, offered his expertise during a question-and-answer session with San Benito Municipal Historian Jose Carlos, who is also the museum’s administrative assistant.
Their discussion in front of a captive audience was part of the museum’s Markers of Memory: Tracing the Soul of South Texas Merienda & Platica Series.
The topic was Historic Preservation in Our Local Communities, and Carlos said there has been a physical presence in San Benito that warranted such a discussion.
“We coordinated this three-section exhibit around San Benito’s State of the City address in June; this was our first attempt at focusing on our history in the two years I have been here,” Carlos said as Velez sat next to him. “We wanted to take this opportunity to talk (to Mr. Velez) about these markers in a historic context.”
Velez said there are various levels of landmark designations, with the highest level being the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). This designation applies to historic properties at least 50 years old that are historically and architecturally significant, providing legal protection for the structure.
He said in some instances, state preservation grant funds and assistance are available to eligible owners. Tax exemptions for historic buildings are possible.
He said of the 18 markers San Benito has as part of its historic exhibit, six are deemed as RTHL.
It’s an impressive ratio when you take the city’s population of 24,000 into account. Velez said San Benito fares better compared to the Valley’s largest and most populated city, Brownsville, which has a population of 192,000.
“We would have to have hundreds of historic markers in Brownsville,” Velez said. “The number San Benito has is high.”
Brownsville, however, has five museums, some of which can be rented out for events. It also has historic walking tours and an old city cemetery as part of its attractions.
“What we are trying to do in Brownsville is trigger the interest of people for economic reasons,” Velez said.
He said each Valley city has its own character and historic buildings, but if there is a natural resource that makes San Benito stand out from the others, it is its resacas.
Having the ability to tie nature to history would make San Benito even more of an attraction.
Jesus and Diana Arriaga were in attendance. They lived in Brownsville before settling in San Benito, where they purchased the Landrum House a few years ago.
It came as a surprise to them that their homestead was featured in the exhibit.
“I was amazed and pleased with this,” Jesus said before the session began.
As his wife, Diana, sat in a chair awaiting the beginning of the discussion, the Landrum House photo drew her attention.
“I looked in that direction, saw it from far away, and said, ‘Hey, that’s our house,’” Diana said.
They came to the museum because they had a keen interest in what Velez had to say, and praised the city for the forum it created to listen in.
“I see a big improvement in what is going on in the city; obviously, there must be some fresh blood because I’m seeing some positive changes,” Jesus said.
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