MADISON STREET
I have walked downtown's streets a thousand times, sometimes sober and sometimes drunk. With the exception of a few other derelicts and prostitutes, I know the place as well as anyone. Anthony Starr asked me to name my favorite historical street.
Levee has the Capitol Theater and the El Jardin Hotel, but not much else. Elizabeth, Washington, Adams and Jefferson are the heart of the historical district and in my humble opinion rival the French Quarter in both quality and quantity. My favorite sight entering downtown is that canyonesque view south on 12th past the many historical buildings anchoring the corners of Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Elizabeth and Levee.
But if you gave me odds and put a few bucks on the table, I'd wager that Madison offers the best historical experience. You would be hard-pressed to beat a walking tour that ran the length of Madison from International Boulevard to Palm Boulevard.
The Carlotta Petrina Museum, always inviting, sits on the corner of 15th. Across the street towards International is a massive structure with the date 1897 over a door. The Petrina Museum was built in the early 1900s by the Cross family who also constructed a famous home near the market in Matamoros.
The Webb-Martinez home, a brick structure in excellent condition, is midway down 14th. Don "Pepe" Webb, according to the historical marker, toiled as Cameron County Clerk for 34 years. His daughter Josephine became a teacher and the BISD honored her contribution by naming an elementary school in her honor.
The Cueto Building on the corner of 13th was built in 1893 by the Spaniard Andres Cueto. He called his new business La Nueva Libertad. The university bought and refurbished the property. The grounds around the two-story structure are well-tended. The old county jail on 12th is across the street from the penultimate county courthouse renamed after the iconic County Judge Oscar Dancy.
La Madrilena is a gem on the corner of 10th. It opened its doors in 1892 and is the law offices of Ed Cyganiewicz and Carlos Masso. Fred Kowalski, another lawyer, has turned a staid but stately home on the corner of 9th into his law office. Annie Putegnat Elementary School, the site of Brownsville's first school, fills the entire block on 8th.
Washington Park, the oldest green space in South Texas, covers 7th. During the Civil War these grounds served the military for public executions by firing squads. On 6th the old Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot, now the Brownsville Historical Museum, dominates the vista.
The Old Cemetery, the names on the tombstones alive in the pages of Brownsville history books, extends from 5th to 2ed. A white-washed brick wall separates the cemetery from one of the city's most infamous barrios--La Parra. At the corner of 2ed is the Jewish cemetery. Droughts have no affect on this lush, perfectly manicured sward. The tour concludes on Palm.
Levee has the Capitol Theater and the El Jardin Hotel, but not much else. Elizabeth, Washington, Adams and Jefferson are the heart of the historical district and in my humble opinion rival the French Quarter in both quality and quantity. My favorite sight entering downtown is that canyonesque view south on 12th past the many historical buildings anchoring the corners of Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Elizabeth and Levee.
But if you gave me odds and put a few bucks on the table, I'd wager that Madison offers the best historical experience. You would be hard-pressed to beat a walking tour that ran the length of Madison from International Boulevard to Palm Boulevard.
The Carlotta Petrina Museum, always inviting, sits on the corner of 15th. Across the street towards International is a massive structure with the date 1897 over a door. The Petrina Museum was built in the early 1900s by the Cross family who also constructed a famous home near the market in Matamoros.
The Webb-Martinez home, a brick structure in excellent condition, is midway down 14th. Don "Pepe" Webb, according to the historical marker, toiled as Cameron County Clerk for 34 years. His daughter Josephine became a teacher and the BISD honored her contribution by naming an elementary school in her honor.
The Cueto Building on the corner of 13th was built in 1893 by the Spaniard Andres Cueto. He called his new business La Nueva Libertad. The university bought and refurbished the property. The grounds around the two-story structure are well-tended. The old county jail on 12th is across the street from the penultimate county courthouse renamed after the iconic County Judge Oscar Dancy.
La Madrilena is a gem on the corner of 10th. It opened its doors in 1892 and is the law offices of Ed Cyganiewicz and Carlos Masso. Fred Kowalski, another lawyer, has turned a staid but stately home on the corner of 9th into his law office. Annie Putegnat Elementary School, the site of Brownsville's first school, fills the entire block on 8th.
Washington Park, the oldest green space in South Texas, covers 7th. During the Civil War these grounds served the military for public executions by firing squads. On 6th the old Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot, now the Brownsville Historical Museum, dominates the vista.
The Old Cemetery, the names on the tombstones alive in the pages of Brownsville history books, extends from 5th to 2ed. A white-washed brick wall separates the cemetery from one of the city's most infamous barrios--La Parra. At the corner of 2ed is the Jewish cemetery. Droughts have no affect on this lush, perfectly manicured sward. The tour concludes on Palm.
posted by brownsville literary review @ 9:26 PM
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