Historic San Juan Hotel makes Preservation Texas’ 2024 Most Endangered Places List

AUSTIN, Texas – Preservation Texas has unveiled its annual list of Texas’s Most Endangered Places and the historical San Juan Hotel has made the list.

In total, 12 individual sites and one cultural landscape across the state have made the list.

The San Juan Hotel is in the news right now because the City of San Juan has purchased the property with the intent of demolishing it. In its place would come a downtown conference center. The conference center project is being spearheaded by San Juan Economic Development Corporation and ERO Architects of McAllen.

“The rehabilitation of the San Juan Hotel could be incorporated into a new facility, providing a unique and character-defining experience for everyone who makes use of the community center,” said Evan Thompson, executive director of Preservation Texas. “Creative adaptive reuse is one of the most exciting areas of preservation architecture.”

In a press release, Preservation Texas recaps the history of the San Juan Hotel.

“Located at 125 W U.S. Hwy 83, the San Juan Hotel was built in 1920 to serve as an anchor for social activities in the Rio Grande Valley and to attract visitors to the growing town of San Juan.

“Designed by E.W. Slaughter and constructed by Charles Newman, it was built of locally sourced brick from the San Juan Plantation kiln. The hotel underwent an exterior redesign in 1928 by architect Paul G. Silber, adopting its iconic Spanish/Mission Revival style.

“After initially closing in the mid 1960s, the San Juan Hotel was purchased and restored in the 1980s and operated until 1994. It was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1985.

“In 2023, the long-neglected and vacant hotel was sold to the City of San Juan with plans to construct a new community center on the property. As part of their downtown master plan, the city has commissioned a study of the San Juan Hotel, which suggests that the structure is unsalvageable.

“Advocates for the hotel’s preservation argue for obtaining a second opinion from an experienced preservation architect and exploring adaptive reuse options that would allow one of the most visible historic landmarks in the Rio Grande Valley to survive.”

A group of concerned citizens is trying to secure hundreds of signatures from San Juan residents for a petition that urges San Juan leaders to preserve the hotel.

As for the other historic sites that have made its 2024 Most Endangered Places List, Preservation Texas says:

“From the indigenous cultural expanse of Indian Hot Springs in Hudspeth County to the 1968 Institute of Texan Cultures Building in San Antonio, the list spans a diverse array of architectural styles and historical significance.

“Each site presents an opportunity for communities to harness these historic places to fortify their unique sense of identity, foster economic growth, employ preservation tradespeople, and educate present and future generations about Texas’s rich history.”

Editor’s Note: Click here to learn more about each site included on the 2024 Texas’s Most Endangered Places list. The website includes many photos of the San Juan Hotel.

Serena Putegnat

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One of the board members of Preservation Texas is from the Rio Grande Valley. Serena Putegnat was appointed by the City of Brownsville to its Heritage Council. During her service on the council, she became familiar with Brownsville’s historic buildings and led various efforts to preserve significant neighborhoods and structures. It was her service on the council that generated her interest in preservation efforts throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Putegnat received her undergraduate degree from Sweet Briar College where she studied in Spain during her junior year. She then graduated from South Texas College of Law Houston and is a Texas attorney. Putegnat is active in the South Texas community and serves on various non-profit boards.

About Preservation Texas

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Founded in 1985 with headquarters in San Marcos, Preservation Texas is a statewide nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and has offices in Tyler and El Paso.

The nonprofit is not a government agency and relies on donations, grants, and service fees for its operational support.

The group says it “empowers Texans to preserve their cultural heritage, and stewards significant buildings, collections, and cultural landscapes to ensure their permanent protection.”

The chartered purposes of Preservation Texas are intended to enable a range of preservation activities. These are:

1. To serve as an auxiliary to all agencies of the State of Texas concerned with our history, heritage, and the preservation and maintenance of significant areas, sites, buildings, monuments, and artefacts;

2. To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise or bequest, with or without restriction, and to preserve, restore, maintain and present to the public those areas, sites, buildings, monuments, artifacts, documents, and objects which are significant in the history, prehistory, archaeology, architecture, heritage and culture of Texas;

3. To disseminate knowledge of the history, prehistory, heritage and culture of Texas;

4. To engage in historical and archaeological research on the activities of past Texans;

5. To foster, encourage and develop a general appreciation and understanding of the accomplishments of past generations of Texans in order that the lives of present and future generations may be enriched.

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