{"nrhp_refnum":"80004149","name":"LaBorde House, Store and Hotel","other_names":["Ringgold Hotel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"601 E. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rio Grande City","county":"Starr County","state":"TX","lat":26.377658284000063,"lon":-98.81566720999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A compound of brick buildings at 601 E. Main Street in Rio Grande City, Starr County, Texas, built in 1897 as a residence, store, office and warehouse for Francois LaBorde and expanded about 1917 into a hotel, later known as the Ringgold Hotel.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the buildings show the excellence of craftsmanship and detailing and reflect Lower Rio Grande Valley influences, including Spanish-Mexican townhouse and courtyard forms, a protective compound layout, climate-driven double galleries with Victorian wood detail, and regional brick construction. It also notes the 1917 expansion by San Antonio architect Leo M. J. Dielmann and the prominence of LaBorde as a businessman and landowner.","narrative":"Built in 1897 for French immigrant merchant Francois LaBorde, this brick compound in Rio Grande City combined a two-story residence with a general store, office and warehouse arranged around a central courtyard. The residence has a central hall plan, double galleries with Victorian jigsaw detail, stone lintels and corbelled cornices, while the flat roofs and courtyard reflect Spanish-Mexican traditions. About 1917, LaBorde hired San Antonio architect Leo M. J. Dielmann to add a second story and convert the complex into a hotel, giving the store and office gabled facades with decorative brickwork. LaBorde died in 1917 before completion. In 1939 George Boyle bought the property, renamed it the Ringgold Hotel after nearby Fort Ringgold, and remodeled the interior. The nomination values the complex for its craftsmanship and for showing how culture, climate, the frontier setting and local brick shaped design in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The buildings remain largely intact despite disrepair.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"Leo M. J. Dielmann","architectural_style":"Greek Revival and Victorian elements with Spanish-Mexican influences","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a hotel; the form describes the buildings as in disrepair but essentially intact, with the former store and office used for storage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.99911-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/73/9733/40973373/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/80004149.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004149/af526a2bea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004149/af526a2bea-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"David Bezanson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laborde-house.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">David Bezanson</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laborde-house.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973373","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107318927"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/starr-county/laborde-house-store-and-hotel-80004149/"}