Shary Building
Mission, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by San Antonio architect Harvey P. Smith, this two-story edifice was constructed of brick with white stone trimming and erected on the site of Mission founder John Conway's business offices. Intended to house the multi-firm organization of John H. Shary, known as "The Father of the Texas Citrus Industry," the structure was completed in 150 days by June 1939 and originally cost $40,000. A distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival design, the building contains many features of the Mexican Colonial style, such as its exposed tile roof with clipped eaves, similar to thatched roofs of Mexican domestic architecture. The concrete tiers of its first-story windows evoke the wrought iron brackets of Mexican balconies of the 19th century. Wrapped in native brick painted white, the building would insulate itself in Mission's humid climate until the late 1940s, when central air became practical. The 1979 addition of a "City Hall Room" was a one-story wing set back from the main elevation to blend with the original "L" shape. Dedicated to the community in 1939, the building became the offices of the City of Mission upon its sale by Shary's daughter and her husband, former Texas Governor Allan Shivers, in 1960. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Designed by San Antonio architect Harvey P. Smith and completed in just 150 days in 1939, this two-story building was raised on the site of Mission founder John Conway's offices to house the enterprises of John H. Shary, the "Father of the Texas Citrus Industry." Its Spanish Colonial Revival design borrows from Mexican domestic architecture, from the clipped-eave tile roof to window tiers evoking wrought-iron balconies. Sold in 1960 by Shary's daughter and her husband, former Governor Allan Shivers, it became Mission's city hall.
Why it matters
The building honors the man who built the Rio Grande Valley's citrus economy and stands as a graceful expression of the region's Mexican-influenced architectural heritage.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In 1939 the United States was nearing the end of the Great Depression, and a new public building was a sign of confidence. In the lower Rio Grande Valley, the deep south tip of Texas, the economy had been changing for decades. Irrigation from the river and new rail connections had turned brushland into farmland, and promoters had drawn settlers to grow crops that thrived in the mild, frost-light climate.
Citrus became the region's signature crop, and the Valley became known for its grapefruit and oranges. Mission, in Hidalgo County, sat at the center of that growth.
The architecture of the time reflected the region's character. Spanish Colonial Revival design was popular across the American Southwest in the early twentieth century. In the Valley, so close to Mexico, the style drew on local and Mexican traditions. Air conditioning was not yet common, so buildings had to handle the heat and humidity through their own design.
People & events
The central figure is John H. Shary, known as "The Father of the Texas Citrus Industry." Shary ran a group of business firms, and this building was meant to house them all. It stands on a meaningful spot, the site of the business offices of John Conway, Mission's founder, which links the city's beginnings to the man who built its leading industry.
Shary hired San Antonio architect Harvey P. Smith, who designed a two-story building of brick with white stone trim. Construction was fast: the building was finished in 150 days, by June 1939, at a cost of $40,000. Smith filled it with Mexican Colonial details, including an exposed tile roof with clipped eaves that resembles thatched roofs on Mexican homes, and concrete window tiers that suggest the wrought-iron balcony brackets of nineteenth-century Mexico. The native brick was painted white, which helped keep the building comfortable in Mission's humid climate until central air conditioning became practical in the late 1940s.
The building was dedicated to the community in 1939. Its later history connects to Texas politics. Shary's daughter married Allan Shivers, who would become governor of Texas, and in 1960 the couple sold the building, which then became the offices of the City of Mission. In 1979 a one-story "City Hall Room" wing was added, set back from the main front so it would blend with the original L-shaped plan.
Its place in the American story
The Shary Building tells the story of a farm economy that became nationally important. The Rio Grande Valley's citrus groves supplied fruit to markets across the country, and that industry was organized by business leaders like John H. Shary. His building records how one person's ventures could transform a whole region.
The building also matters as architecture. Its design combines American Spanish Colonial Revival with Mexican domestic traditions, from the tile roof to the balcony-like window tiers. Along the border, that mix reflects a region where American and Mexican cultures have long shaped each other.
Its conversion from private headquarters to city hall is another common American pattern: historic commercial buildings given new public uses instead of being torn down. The link to former Governor Allan Shivers ties this Valley building to Texas political history.
If you visit
Look for the white-painted brick, the white stone trim and the tile roof with its clipped eaves. Then study the first-story windows and their concrete tiers, which recall the iron balcony brackets of old Mexico. The L-shaped main building is the 1939 original. The lower wing set back from the front is the 1979 "City Hall Room" addition, designed to stay unobtrusive.
It helps to picture the building in 1939, before air conditioning, when the painted brick and the overall design worked to keep the interior cooler in the Valley's humid heat.
Mission is a good stop on a Rio Grande Valley road trip, especially if you are interested in citrus country, border culture or Spanish- and Mexican-influenced architecture. Since the building has long served as city offices, be considerate of normal civic business when you visit.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Harvey P. Smith
- · John H. Shary
- · John Conway
- · Allan Shivers
Themes & tags
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