Water District Building
San Benito, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by Austin architects Endress and Walsh and built by contractor L. Fleming, the San Benito Land and Water Company building was completed in 1910 at a cost of $14,386. Thirty-foot pine beams and locally made brick were used to construct the home of the company. A fine example of the mission revival style, the edifice features a red tile roof, wooden bracketed eaves, a stucco exterior, and curved fable parapets. The building has been home to many San Benito institutions, notably the irrigation and drainage districts. A beloved fixture of downtown San Benito, it stands as a memorial to the vital role of irrigation in valley life. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1910 for the San Benito Land and Water Company, this mission revival building—with its red tile roof, bracketed eaves, and curved parapets—was the headquarters of the enterprise that brought irrigation to the surrounding farmland. Designed by Austin architects Endress and Walsh and built of local brick and long pine beams, it later housed the region's irrigation and drainage districts. It endures as a downtown fixture and a memorial to the water that made valley agriculture possible.
Why it matters
Irrigation turned the semi-arid lower Rio Grande Valley into one of the nation's most productive farming regions, and this building embodies that transformation.
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Themes & tags
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