Lamar Junior High School
McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The McAllen School Board authorized construction of Lamar High School in 1938, through a bond election and funding from the Public Works Administration. Architect Marion Lee Waller’s original design included an L-shaped floor plan only one room deep, with east- and south-facing classrooms opening onto breezeways for maximum circulation in the days before air conditioning. The school operated as a high school for only five years, until development of a new site; this campus has continued as a junior high school with several additions. The Spanish Colonial Revival Style two-story reinforced concrete and wood framed building features a buff brick exterior, clay tile roof and cast stone detailing.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Approved by the McAllen School Board in 1938 and funded through a bond election and the Public Works Administration, Lamar was built to architect Marion Lee Waller's clever pre-air-conditioning design—an L-shaped plan one room deep, with classrooms opening onto breezeways for maximum airflow. It served as a high school for only five years before a new campus opened, after which it continued as a junior high. The Spanish Colonial Revival building features a buff-brick exterior, clay-tile roof, and cast-stone detailing.
Why it matters
The school reflects how New Deal public-works dollars reshaped small-town Texas, blending federal investment with regionally attuned architecture built for the Valley's climate.
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Related people
- · Marion Lee Waller
Related events
- · Public Works Administration
Themes & tags
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