You are here

Texas: Central, South, and Gulf Coast » South Texas » Brownsville to South Padre Island » Brownsville and Vicinity (Cameron County) » The Gem

The Gem

-A A +A
1849. 400 E. 13th St.

Set near the river in the former warehouse and wharf area at the southeastern tip of the city grid, The Gem survives as the oldest standing building in Brownsville, and as evidence that the architectural influence of New Orleans's Vieux Carré was present in the new city from its inception. Named after a saloon that occupied its first floor in the 1850s, the rehabilitated, flat-roofed brick structure features five bays with French door openings, a shed-roofed, full-width balcony, and a dentiled cornice. In the historic tradition, the owner still resides upstairs, while his business is located on the ground floor.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Gerald Moorhead et al.
×

Data

What's Nearby

Miller–Treviño de los Santos Coy House (Stillman House Museum)
El Jardin Hotel
Elizabeth Street
City Hall and Market House
Juan H. Fernández y Hermano Building

Citation

Gerald Moorhead et al., "The Gem", [Brownsville, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-BS2.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,