Edinburg Junior College Auditorium

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one bringin' it to you out here on the road. Back in 1926, something worth keeping was going up in Edinburg. The Austin architectural firm of Giesecke and Harris had drawn up the plans, and what they put on paper was no ordinary school building.

This was the auditorium for the newly-created Edinburg Junior College, and they intended it to make an impression. Gothic Revival style, if you can picture that rising up in the Rio Grande Valley. Ogee-arched windows, which curve up to a point in that graceful S-shape the old builders loved, and ornamental stonework worked into the facade.

Somebody wanted this place to look like it meant something. And it did. The building served the college, and then it kept on serving the educational institutions that came after.

It wasn't content to belong to just one era. The city of Edinburg found a use for it too, as a cultural center, so the community itself walked through those arched doors for reasons beyond schooling. That's the thing about a well-made building.

You design it right, you build it solid, and it just keeps showing up for people. The marker calls it a fine example of early twentieth century educational buildings, and standing in front of those ogee arches and that ornamental stonework, it's hard to argue the point. Giesecke and Harris drew something that lasted.

Edinburg held onto it. And here we are, still talking about it.

What the marker says

Designed by the Austin architectural firm of Giesecke and Harris, this structure was built in 1926 to serve the newly-created Edinburg Junior College. In addition to serving the college and succeeding educational institutions, the auditorium has also been used by the city as a cultural center. The Gothic Revival style building features ogee-arched windows and ornamental stonework. It is a fine example of early 20th century educational buildings. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989