List of buildings in Laredo, Texas

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The San Agustin Cathedral
The San Agustin Cathedral

This is a list of the tallest and largest buildings in Laredo, Texas. Laredo is the county seat and most populated city in Webb County, Texas. The city has over 230,000 residents and there are over 730,000 residents in the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area.

Contents

[edit] Tallest Buildings

Rio Grande Plaza Hotel
Rio Grande Plaza Hotel
The Holiday Inn
The Holiday Inn
The Laredo Medical Center
The Laredo Medical Center
Walker Plaza
Walker Plaza
Today a part of the Republic of the Rio Grande's Capitol building is used as a museum.
Today a part of the Republic of the Rio Grande's Capitol building is used as a museum.
Webb County Courthouse in 1905
Webb County Courthouse in 1905
Webb COunty Courthouse in 2007
Webb COunty Courthouse in 2007
Rank[1] Building Name Height Floors Year Built
01 Hamilton Hotel 151 ft 12 1923
02 San Agustin Cathedral 141 ft N/A 1872
03 Rio Grande Plaza - 15 1975
04 Holiday Inn Laredo - 14 1984
05 Laredo National Bank - 10 1926
06 Senior Citizens Home - 8 -
07 Laredo Medical Center - 7 -
08 Gateway Inn - 6 -
09 Rialto Hotel - 6 1925
10 Walker Plaza - 5 -

[edit] Hamilton Hotel

The Hamilton Hotel was built in 1900 as a three story building. Today it is the tallest building in Laredo, Texas. It serves as an apartment complex in downtown Laredo. It is 151 feet tall and has 12 floors (above ground). in 1992 it was included in the National Register of Historical Places[2] and due to its renovation and repair it was the winner of the Housing and Urban Development Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation in 2002.[3] It is located in 815 Salinas St.

[edit] San Agustin Cathedral

The San Agustin Cathedral (formally the San Agustin Church) was built in 1778 as a small parish by the Bishop of Guadalajara. In 1866, work began to turn the small parish into a large church. San Agustin Church is a Gothic structure with a five-story- 141ft (43m) bell / clock tower. All the windows have the traditional Gothic shape with stained glass located between structural bays of its masonry walls. A French priest, Father Pierre Yves Keralum, was the designer and architect for this historical monument. The new church was opened in December 12, 1872.[4]

[edit] Rio Grande Plaza

The Rio Grande Plaza[5] (formally the Hilton Hotel) is an independently owned hotel located on the banks of the Rio Grande. It was built in 1975 and is 15 floors high. Its within a walking distance from the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge and has a view of the Rio Grande, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and downtown Laredo

[edit] Holiday Inn Civic Center

The Holiday Inn Civic Center is a hotel affiliated to the Holiday Inn chain of hotels. Its building is the fourth tallest building in Laredo. It was built in 1984 and it is 14 floors high. It is located along Interstate 35 south near the Laredo Civic Center.

[edit] Laredo National Bank Headquarters

The Laredo National Bank Headquarters[6] building was built in 1926 and it served as the Plaza Hotel until 1976 when it was purchased by the Laredo National Bank and was renovated and converted to its headquarters. The building is the fifth tallest building in Laredo and it is 10 stories high.

[edit] Senior Citizens Home

The Laredo's Senior Citizen Home is located in the San Agustin Historical District across from the Hamilton Hotel. The building is sixth tallest building in Laredo with 8 floors above ground. It serves the Laredo area as a retirement home for the senior citizens.

[edit] Laredo Medical Center

The Laredo Medical Center[7] (Formally the Mercy Hospital) was built in 1990. It is the largest medical center in the Laredo area. Its building is located on United States Route 59 and is 7 floors high. It is of Spanish Colonial architecture. It has 325 licensed beds and 180 active physicians. The hospital has 1,568 employees. Its services include:

[edit] Gateway Inn

The Gateway Inn is an independent hotel in the Laredo area. It is located along Business Spur Interstate 35 south. It is six stories high and it is located near Mall del Norte.

[edit] Rialto Hotel

The Rialto Hotel[8] (formally the Sames Moore Building) was built in 1925 and was used as a Local car dealership headquarters. In 2005 the building was bought and was renovated and turned into a hotel. It is the 9th tallest building in Laredo and is 6 stories high. It is located across the Hamilton Hotel in downtown San Agustin Historical District.

[edit] Walker Plaza

The Walker Plaza was built in 1995 and houses the headquarters of the South Texas National Bank and FBI offices. It is 5 floors high and is the 10th tallest building in Laredo. The building is located along Interstate 35 south. On May 21, 1996 the building was a victim of a bomb blast which caused minor damage to the north side of the building[9]. This explosion caused all the federal buildings in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico to be placed on "tighten security"[10].

[edit] Largest Building

Mall Del Norte[11] is a super regional shopping mall in Laredo. The mall opened in 1977 and has since been renovated in 1991, 1993 (expansion), and 2007. It is located along Interstate 35 in the city's rapidly growing retail hub the city. Mall Del Norte is 1,198,199 sq. ft.; with 148 stores, making it the largest mall in South Texas and the largest building in Laredo.

[edit] National Register of Historical Places

List of National Register of Historical Places[12] in the Laredo area.

[edit] Hamilton Hotel

The Hamilton Hotel was first constructed in 1900 and was expanded from a three story building to a 12 story building in various phases during 1924 to 1949. Robert M. Ayres was the buildings architect and Atlee B. Ayres was its engineer. The building is of is of Mission/Spanish Revival architectural style.

[edit] San Agustin Cathedral

See main article: San Agustin Cathedral

[edit] Republic of the Rio Grande Capitol Building

Republic of the Rio Grande Capitol Building[13] is located in the downtown historical district next to the historical La Posada Hotel. It was once the Republic of the Rio Grande Capitol building now showcases memorabilia from the short lived Republic of the Rio Grande. It displays pictures, books, and furniture from the 19th century Laredo area. It offers guided tours for school age children and adults year-round. Because of this Republic, Laredo had flown seven flags instead of the traditional Six Flags over Texas.

[edit] Laredo Federal Building

Laredo Federal Building was built in 1900 and is of Classical architectural style. In the early 1900's the building was used as a Courthouse, Customhouse, Government Office, and Post Office. Today it is used for federal offices and the 78040 Post Office.

[edit] Webb County Courthouse

Webb County Courthouse was built in the 1900 in downtown Laredo. Since its inauguration it has served as the Webb County courthouse. H. Sperbert was the architect and Alberto Giles was the engineer.

[edit] Fort McIntosh

Fort McIntosh was an army base built in Laredo in 1850. Most of the fort's buildings are of Late Victorian architectural style. Today, Fort McIntosh was absorbed by the Laredo Community College. All the buildings were renovated and repaired and serve as classrooms and offices.

The full length of the Fort McIntosh U.S. Military Reservation in 1892.
The full length of the Fort McIntosh U.S. Military Reservation in 1892.

[edit] Proposed/Under Construction Buildings

Building Name Status Type Use Floors Height Area Opening Year Notes
Emerald Tower[14] Proposed High rise Building Condominiums 19 Unknown 424,000 ft² N/A When completed the building will be the new tallest building in Laredo.
Piazza del Sol[15] Under Construction Outdoor/Indoor Mall Retail 1 N/A 1,000,000+ ft² 2009 When completed it will become the largest outdoor mall in Laredo.
Laredo Town Center[16] Under Construction Indoor Mall Retail 1-2 N/A 580,577 ft² 2009 When completed it will become the second largest Indoor mall in Laredo.
Laredo Factory Stores[17] Under Construction Outlet Mall Retail 1 N/A 452,000 ft² 2010 When completed it will become the second largest outdoor mall in Laredo

[edit] References