Southern Pacific Depot
McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The San Antonio & Aransas Pass (subsidiary of the Southern Pacific) Railway laid track south to the Rio Grande Valley and McAllen in 1927. This passenger depot, designed by railroad architect Leonard B. McCoy, opened in August that year. The structural tile building is stuccoed and detailed in Spanish Colonial Revival style. Passenger service ceased in 1952, and the building was occupied from 1953 to 1985 by public agencies, including the city police, jail, and municipal court. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the San Antonio & Aransas Pass—a Southern Pacific subsidiary—pushed track to the Rio Grande Valley in 1927, McAllen gained this stuccoed, Spanish Colonial Revival passenger depot designed by railroad architect Leonard B. McCoy. Passenger service lasted only until 1952, after which the building housed the city's police, jail, and municipal court into the 1980s. Its handsome tilework recalls the Valley's rail-driven growth.
Why it matters
The depot documents how railroads knit the isolated Rio Grande Valley into national markets, and how such landmarks were repurposed as the passenger era waned.
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Related people
- · Leonard B. McCoy
Themes & tags
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