Celaya, Augustine, House
504 E. Saint Francis St., Brownsville, TXBuilt at the turn of the century (1904) for a prominent lawyer and businessman, the Celaya House is an unusual rendition of Victorian-period architecture in Texas. Its many wings and thick walls make it ideally suited to the tropical climate of Brownsville. Augustine Celaya, the owner, helped to develop commerce along the border and served as President and General Manager of the Rio Grande Railroad. He was completely bilingual and was licensed to practice law on both the United States and Mexican sides of the Rio Grande. His residence was built in an area known as the Celaya Addition, and the house plan was designed by the owner himself.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.