Mifflin Kenedy Warehouse and Old Starr County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Built between about 1848 and 1856 on Water Street in Rio Grande City, this two-story brick warehouse once faced the Rio Grande, where steamboats landed one block east. Mifflin Kenedy, a steamboat operator and partner of Richard King, used it for goods headed to international trade. Its plain, elongated form and open interior reflect its storage purpose, with walls of buff brick laid in common bond and a hipped roof. Local accounts say it also served as the first Starr County courthouse from about 1850 until about 1884, then became a school until around 1915 or 1940. Doors, stucco, roofing and a 1980s east addition have changed its appearance, but the massing, brick walls and window pattern remain. The county owns it, and the city leases it for municipal court and public works offices. It is valued as a rare surviving link to the steamboat trade that shaped the town.
Significance in brief: The building is tied to the steamboat trade that drove the founding and growth of Rio Grande City. It is named for Mifflin Kenedy, who helped bring steamboat commerce to the town, and it served as the first Starr County courthouse. Its design, materials and construction methods are described as extremely rare in the city today.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000657, listed July 8, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200 Blk. W. Water St., Rio Grande City |
|---|---|
| County | Starr County |
| Listed | July 8, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000657 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1850-1884 |
| Architect / builder | Mifflin Kenedy (builder/owner of the warehouse) |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as government offices (Municipal Court and Public Works); condition described as fair but structurally sound, with a large part of its original fabric intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 26.38069, -98.82280 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000657.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002737
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.