Edinburg Junior College Auditorium
Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by the Austin architectural firm of Giesecke and Harris, this structure was built in 1926 to serve the newly-created Edinburg Junior College. In addition to serving the college and succeeding educational institutions, the auditorium has also been used by the city as a cultural center. The Gothic Revival style building features ogee-arched windows and ornamental stonework. It is a fine example of early 20th century educational buildings. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Designed by the Austin firm of Giesecke and Harris and completed in 1926, this Gothic Revival auditorium served the newly created Edinburg Junior College in the fast-growing Rio Grande Valley. With its ogee-arched windows and ornamental stonework, it stood as both a place of learning and a cultural center for the wider city. It remains a fine example of the ambitious educational architecture of the early twentieth century.
Why it matters
The building reflects the Progressive-era faith in public higher education, when even young frontier communities invested in dignified halls of learning.
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Related people
- · Giesecke and Harris
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Emilia Schunior Ramirez
Edinburg, TX
Hidalgo County native Emilia Schunior Ramirez graduated from Edinburg High in 1919, raised a family, and earned her degrees while building a career as a teacher and principal across Rio Grande Valley schools. Her 1950 master's thesis studied the children of Mexican immigrants in South Texas, and she went on to teach Spanish at Pan American College and to represent Edinburg at an inter-American meeting in Guatemala. She became a respected educator and historian.
Richard Alvis Marsh
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Kentucky native Richard A. Marsh came to the Rio Grande Valley in 1880 to teach the children at Fort Ringgold, and was troubled by the poor schooling available to children of Mexican descent. He spent the rest of his life improving the region's public education, first as a traveling teacher for ranch schools and then, from 1902 to 1914, as Hidalgo County Superintendent of Schools.
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