The Brownsville of the post-World War II era was pushing west on its main street – Elizabeth Street – in branching out from its downtown core to develop new retailing and business offices.

The Rio Grande Valley Gas Company Building was part of that movement. The 21,000-square-foot building, two stories high, got its start in 1947. Additional phases of the building would come in the late 1950s and mid-1960s. The gas company headquarters added tenants, ranging from the Brownsville navigation district to lawyers and accountants. It was also the place where everyday local residents came in daily to pay their gas bills.

The RGV Gas Company was a public utility corporation that supplied natural gas. Its customers reached across the far South Texas counties of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy. Among the gas company’s west Elizabeth Street neighbors of the mid-20th century was a then Harlingen-based grocery chain named after one of its founders – Howard E. Butt. H-E-B got its foothold in the Valley. One of its first RGV stores was just down Elizabeth from the gas company building. So were new pharmacies and car dealerships springing up to sell Studebakers, Chevrolets and Fords. 

“The post-Second World War decade, when the first phase of the Rio Grande Valley Gas Co. Building was constructed, marked the pinnacle of W. Elizabeth Street’s tenure as Brownsville’s most important suburban retail center, second only to downtown,” wrote Stephen Fox, a fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas.

Enduring Legacy

Much of what was West Elizabeth from Palm Boulevard to Central Boulevard is no more. Brownsville has moved on through the decades. 

The RGV Gas Company Building endures, still standing, thanks to longtime Brownsville realtor Dora Bermudez and her husband Alfredo. For two decades, the couple has worked as a team to modernize the building’s infrastructure and utilities while leaving many of its old touches intact.

Today’s tenants now include county offices, lawyers, bookkeepers, photo studios, health care administrative offices and even a church. The building is now known as the Bermudez Building on 355 W. Elizabeth Street.

Maribel Guerrero is the daughter of the Bermudez couple and the mayor of Rancho Viejo while serving as Brownsville’s assistant engineering and public works director. She finds the Bermudez Building to be a large part of Brownsville’s history.

“We felt this building was connected to Brownsville’s story where people worked and paid their bills,” said Guerrero. “The historical content of a building like this one is part of the story of Brownsville and what helped make it what it is today.”

A Partnership

Alfredo Bermudez is giving a tour of the old gas building, making his way up a flight of stairs. Soon, a stunning mural depicting South Texas life emerges between the building’s two floors.

“We love this building,” he said, as he pointed out the intricate artwork on the wall. “We feel good about what we’ve done to bring the building back.”

The idea to revitalize the building was the idea of his wife, Dora. In the early 2000s, she was intrigued by the abandoned gas company building on Elizabeth. The building had been on the market for three years. The realtor looked over the building with her husband and decided to make a go of it. 

“I know how to do maintenance,” said Alfredo, a retired master welder who worked for major industrial companies in Houston and at the Port of Brownsville. “My wife knows business and can take care of administration.” 

They went about updating all of the air conditioning and plumbing systems, and fixing the roof. They redid all of the interior work regarding walls and floors. The couple got a major break early on when one of the Valley’s first charter schools moved in, taking the first floor. They haven’t stopped since Alfredo continues to tinker on the building and Dora works to fill it with tenants.

Bringing Memories Back

The National Park Service has listed the West Elizabeth building in its listing of the National Register of Historic Places.

There are personal historical elements as well.

“We’ve had so many people come in to see the building who grew up here and tell us, ‘This is where we came with our mom to pay bills. I can’t believe it’s still here,'” Dora Bermudez said. “That always makes us feel good and proud of what we’ve done.”

Maribel Guerrero marvels at the commitment and dedication her parents have shown to the West Elizabeth Street building.

“It’s my mom’s ingenuity to recognize a good commercial buy when people thought she was crazy to purchase this building years ago,” said Guerrero. “My parents have brought a lot of memories back with this building.”