Hinojosa House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Hinojosa House in Cameron County. Pull over if you want, because this one's got layers. We're talking curved streets, ox-bow lakes, and a house that broke the rules in the best possible way.

Let's get into it. The Hinojosa House was built in 1950, and it sits inside a subdivision called Los Ebanos, named after the native Texas ebony trees that grow common in that part of the Valley. Now, Los Ebanos itself was developed back in the 1920s by Los Ebanos Estates Inc., and here's the thing that made it stand out from the jump: it was the first subdivision in all of Brownsville to lay its streets in curves.

Not a grid, not a ruler-straight line in sight. Those streets bend and wind to follow the resacas, ox-bow lakes formed when the Rio Grande overflows its banks during heavy rainfall. The land itself shaped the neighborhood.

The Hinojosa House sits on lots 17 and 18. Those were the final two lots developed in the entire subdivision. The last ones.

And the man who designed the house was C. Lyman Ellis, of C. Lyman Ellis and Company.

Ellis went on to serve as the supervising architect for many of Brownsville's housing complexes, stores, and public buildings. So this house wasn't just a home. It was early work from somebody who'd leave a mark on a whole city.

In 1949, Mr. Ramon Lassaurax Hinojosa and his wife, Consuelo Champion Hinojosa, purchased those two lots from Mr. and Mrs. G.

Rodney Robinson. Then on March 23, 1950, they broke ground. And by May 24, 1950, the Hinojosa family moved in.

Less than two months from groundbreaking to moving day. The Hinojosas didn't just move into a neighborhood. They became part of it, getting involved in local civic organizations and entrepreneurial opportunities throughout the community.

Now, about the house itself. It's what architects call the California-Monterey style, a look that was popular for southwestern suburban homes from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s. But here's where it gets interesting.

Most California-Monterey houses carry a balcony on the front, it's practically their signature. The Hinojosa House doesn't have one. Instead, the second story cantilevers out beyond the wall line of the first story below it.

No balcony. Just that bold, jutting upper floor reaching past its own foundation. A late example of the style, and a rule-bending one at that.

The neighborhood itself has held on. In 1972, neighbors joined together to form the Los Ebanos association, dedicated to preserving the historic integrity of the subdivision and the interests of the people who call it home. Curved streets following ancient lakes, the last lots filled, a house that broke the mold on purpose.

Some things in this state are worth protectin.

What the marker says

Built in 1950, the Hinojosa House is located within Los Ebanos, a subdivision named after the native Texas ebony trees that are common in the area. Developed in the 1920s by Los Ebanos Estates Inc., Los Ebanos was the first subdivision in Brownsville with curved streets to follow the lines of the Resacas, Ox-Bow lakes formed by the over-flowing Rio Grande during heavy rainfall. The Hinojosa House sits on lots 17 and 18, the final two lots developed in the subdivision. The house was designed by C. Lyman Ellis from C. Lyman Ellis & Company. Ellis later served as the supervising architect for many of Brownsville's housing complexes, stores and public buildings. In 1949, Mr. Ramon Lassaurax Hinojosa and his wife, Consuelo Champion Hinojosa, purchased the lots from Mr. and Mrs. G. Rodney Robinson. The ground breaking ceremony took place on Mar. 23, 1950, and the Hinojosa family moved in on May 24, 1950. As community members, the Hinojosa family was involved in local civic organizations and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Hinojosa House's architecture demonstrates a late example of the California-Monterey house style popular for southwestern, suburban houses from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s. As an unusual characteristic, the Hinojosa House was not built with a balcony like typical California-Monterey houses, but includes a cantilevered second story beyond the wall line of the house's first story. In 1972, neighbors joined together to create the Los Ebanos association to preserve the neighborhood's historic integrity and resident interests. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2013