Rio Grande City Downtown Historic District

Rio Grande City's downtown district covers roughly seven blocks east of Britton Avenue, along Main, Second and Mirasoles streets. Founded in 1848 on the site of an earlier Spanish Colonial ranch, the town grew eastward toward Fort Ringgold, and its businesses followed. The district holds 88 contributing and 67 noncontributing resources, mostly shops, houses and combined store-and-home buildings. Many are built of handmade yellow or buff brick, with segmental arch windows, decorative parapets and wrought iron balconies. German mason Heinrich Portscheller shaped much of the finest brickwork, and French immigrants influenced the iron balconies. Later buildings include Queen Anne and Classical Revival houses, bungalows after the railroad arrived in 1925, and Mission Revival commercial structures. Construction largely stopped around 1940, so the district keeps a recognizable historic streetscape. Mexican, American, German and French influences appear together in a small stretch of the border region, which is the reason for the district's recognition.