Biggio-Kowalski-De La Garza House
Laredo, Webb County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chester C. Biggio, a railroad official and the city's first fire chief, had this home built in 1909 for his family. He died in 1923, and in 1938 his widow Laura Blossman Biggio sold the house to Louis and Dorothy Kowalski. They lived here with their six children until 1948. Leonor de La Garza bought the house in 1965; her sister Fidela inherited it in 1973. The house is a good example of the American foursquare form. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1996
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chester C. Biggio — a railroad official and Laredo's first fire chief — had this American foursquare home built for his family in 1909. After his death it passed through a succession of the city's families, from the Kowalskis and their six children to the de La Garza sisters, whose names trace the layered Italian, Polish, and Mexican heritage of this border city. The house was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1996.
Why it matters
The home's chain of owners mirrors the diverse immigrant and Mexican-American fabric of Laredo, a crossroads community shaped by the railroad and life on the Rio Grande border.
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Related people
- · Chester C. Biggio
- · Louis Kowalski
- · Leonor de La Garza
Themes & tags
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