Catarina Hotel
Catarina, Dimmit County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Catarina grew around headquarters of the Sinton-Taft Ranch, later called Taft-Catarina Ranch. Kansas businessmen C.H. Kearny, J.E. Jarrett and H.V. Wheeler bought the ranch in the 1920s for development, attracting many buyers. By 1928, the town had approximately 2,500 residents and many businesses, including this hotel. In 1925-26, C.H. Kearny and Lee Peters designed and built the hotel in the Spanish Eclectic style, with features including tile roofs and mission elements, cast stone detailing, and a U-shaped plan with courtyard and fish pond. The building, which once also housed a bank, café, shops and offices, is a reminder of the town's boom era. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Catarina rose in the 1920s around the headquarters of the Sinton-Taft (later Taft-Catarina) Ranch, which Kansas businessmen bought for development and sold off to eager buyers. By 1928 the town claimed some 2,500 residents and a full complement of businesses, including this Spanish Eclectic hotel built in 1925–26 with tile roofs, mission detailing, cast stone, and a courtyard with a fish pond. The building once also held a bank, café, shops, and offices.
Why it matters
The Catarina Hotel is a graceful survivor of a South Texas land-promotion boom, standing as a reminder of how speculative ranch development conjured — and then outpaced — whole towns in the 1920s.
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Related people
- · C.H. Kearny
- · Lee Peters
Themes & tags
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