Texas Tropical Trail Region wants to save historic San Juan Hotel

The Board of Directors of the Texas Tropical Trail Region is concerned that the future of the historic San Juan Hotel may be in jeopardy. We understand that the hotel was recently purchased by the City of San Juan and that there are plans to demolish the landmark building. We urge you to consider the negative impacts to the region’s cultural heritage if the building is lost.

The Texas Tropical Trail Region’s mission is to identify, preserve, interpret, and promote the natural, historic, and cultural resources of South Texas. We exist as part of the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Heritage Trails Program, an award-winning heritage tourism initiative that encourages economic development in our heritage region through the promotion of our unique cultural resources. We work with state and local partners, including cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, museums and other non-profit organizations to market and draw visitors to our South Texas communities’ cultural and historic sites.

We are perhaps best known for our monthly partner events, of which we just successfully completed our 214th event here ni Hidalgo County. These partner events bring an average of $75,000 to the local economy annually. We were thrilled to partner with the City of San Juan to hold our 198th partner event on December 15, 2022, and visit the St. Eugene de Mazenod Renewal Center, the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, and the Gelman Stained Glass Museum. This Partner Event was attended by 127 persons representing 12 cities and 8 counties in the Tropical Trail Region, as well as from San Antonio. Our luncheon at the museum hosted officials from the City of San Juan who spoke to us following the meal. The economic impact of this one-day event was over $14,500.

Several of our Directors are familiar with the San Juan Hotel and hope to include it in a future visit to San Juan. We support restoration and renewal efforts throughout the region, including the historic Hotel Catarina, which was under restoration prior to being destroyed by a lightning-induced fire in May of 2020. We had toured the hotel, and many of our partners provided financial support at the restoration efforts. We hope to add it as a landmark destination once it has been restored and repurposed to fit the community’s current needs.

Tara Putegnat

The fate of the San Juan Hotel impacts the entire region. It is no secret that South Texas has for too long been a neglected and underrepresented area when it comes to the preservation of its historic and cultural resources. The loss of every historic site diminishes the entire region. The demolition of each landmark contributes to the loss of the unique sense of place that has endeared past and present generations to life in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. We rob our children and all future generations of their own cultural heritage.

However, we are optimistic that a turnaround is already underway. nI several cities around South Texas, community leaders are working with state and local preservation agencies to tap into their long-neglected heritage sites and turn them into destinations.

Sandy Jumper

We fully appreciate the desire you have to improve the quality of life for the people of San Juan. During our last visit, we could feel the optimism you had for a brighter future, and we wholeheartedly agree. That is why we are equally optimistic that the people of San Juan, Texas, can build that bright future to include the San Juan Hotel. We trust that through partnerships with the Texas Historical Commission and the number of local preservation-minded organizations and individuals that have taken an interest in saving the hotel, there is a solution to be found to the benefit of all the people of South Texas.

We look forward to our next visit to San Juan and to discovering the range of possibilities for the San Juan Hotel as part of our ongoing mission to tell the real stories of our region’s real places.

Sincerely,

Tara Putegnat, Board Chair

Sandy Jumper, Executive Director

Texas Tropical Trail Region

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Tara Putegnat, board chair of Texas Tropical Trail Region, and Sandy Jumper, the group’s executive director. The column is based on a letter Putegnat and Jumper sent to San Juan Mayor Mario Garza and the San Juan City Commission on May 28, 2024.  The Tropical Trail Region is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with and partially funded through the Heritage Trails Program of the Texas Historical Commission. The group seeks to identify, preserve, interpret, and promote the natural, historic, and cultural resources of South Texas.

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