{"nrhp_refnum":"04001397","name":"Cortez Hotel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"260 S. Texas Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Weslaco","county":"Hidalgo County","state":"TX","lat":26.162568880000038,"lon":-97.99077390199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-12-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story, U-plan Spanish Colonial Revival hotel at 260 South Texas Avenue in Weslaco, Hidalgo County, Texas, built in 1928 and designed by architect Paul G. Silber with builders Walsh and Burney.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the hotel was the social and commercial center of Weslaco from its opening in 1928, hosting traveling buyers, winter visitors and local events. Its Spanish-influenced design set the theme for Texas Avenue's downtown. It remains the tallest building in town and a symbol of the city. It is listed under Criterion A in the area of commerce at the local level.","narrative":"Rising four stories above downtown Weslaco, the Cortez Hotel was completed in 1928 at the corner of Texas Avenue and US 83. Designed by San Antonio architect Paul G. Silber and built by Walsh and Burney, it is a U-plan building wrapped around a planted courtyard, with beige stucco walls, red tile parapet details and ground-floor storefronts. Weslaco was less than ten years old when the hotel opened, and it quickly became the town's social and commercial hub. Cotton and produce buyers arrived by train and stayed there, winter visitors filled its rooms, and its ballroom hosted weddings, proms, club luncheons and community events. Its Spanish-influenced look set the pattern for the downtown, which was later remodeled in a similar style. The hotel declined after passenger rail service ended in the 1960s, but a 1997-1998 rehabilitation converted it to offices, restaurants and event space. It remains the tallest building in town and a recognized symbol of Weslaco.","period_of_significance":"1928-1954","architect_builder":"Paul G. Silber, architect; Walsh and Burney, builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 1997-1998 after falling into disrepair and is now a mixed-use building with offices, restaurants, commercial spaces and a banquet ballroom, renamed Villa de Cortez.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.713531-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/9725/40972579/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/04001397.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972579","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107318972"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/hidalgo-county/cortez-hotel-04001397/"}