The proud 75-year history of Laredo College – which is rooted in the determination and acumen of generations of educational professionals – is rooted, too, in its historic setting and purpose on a bluff above the Río Grande.
The ownership of the storied Fort McIntosh military installation was transferred to Laredo Junior College (LJC) in 1947.
The original LJC Fort McIntosh campus at the terminus of Washington Street today includes classrooms and buildings that reflect the late Victorian architecture of the 1880s as well as the modern, more contemporary structures that accommodate the college’s increasing enrollment.
Among those historic buildings is Arechiga Hall, a two-storied, ochre-colored brick structure that was accorded the status of a Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historic Commission in 1962. It is one of four identical barracks constructed at Ft. McIntosh in 1880 by the U.S. Army, and according to its brass marker, it quartered “troops engaged in scouting and escort duty along the Rio Grande. The structure originally had four large rooms, divided by a central stairway. The exterior has not been altered. Soldiers who occupied the building served in the Spanish-American War and both world wars.”
One of four barracks built in 1880 to house soldiers at Fort McIntosh.
In 1975 LJC’s Ft. McIntosh Campus was listed as a National Historic Landmark by the National Register of Historic Places. The campus is one of the City of Laredo’s Historic Districts.
Once repurposed by then-Laredo Junior College for its print shop, offices, and a large classroom, Arechiga Hall – which was named for Dr. Domingo Arechiga, the third president of LJC – is today the object of a $2.2 million fundraising effort for restoration. Laredo College announced that the Texas Historic Commission has recently given $30,000 to the fund, augmenting an earlier donation of $250,000 over two years by The Moody Foundation.
According to Laredo College President Dr. Minita Ramirez, the additional funding by the THC moves the College “one step closer to Laredo students being able to stand proudly in one of Laredo’s historic landmarks.” As well, she said, “ The restoration of Arechiga Hall highlights the historical significance of this institution and contributes toward our goal to preserve every historic building on the Ft. McIntosh Campus.”
Community members, organizations, and foundations interested in supporting the preservation of Laredo College’s historic legacy may contact the LC Director of Grants Gabriel E. Lozano at (956) 721-5199, the College’s Institutional Advancement Division at (956) 721-5283, or institutionaladvancement@laredo.edu
SIDEBAR
Historian Dr. Jerry Thompson – who served as LJC’s Chair of Social Sciences for 10 years – researched content for the 1962 historic marker. He recalled asking the Texas Historical Commission to purge from the marker’s initial narrative their language that he found was “objectionable and xenophobic in demeaning Mexicans.” It was changed.
Thompson’s LJC office was housed in the barracks that bears the name of Dr. Arechiga, who served as College President from 1974 to 1985. Thompson remembered Dr. Arechiga as “a fair and objective individual dedicated to advancing the College’s reach to Laredo students who sought higher education.”
He recalled that when he arrived at LJC in August of 1968, the west end of the barracks structure was the registrar’s office. “Classrooms in the old buildings had no air conditioning, and for that reason, in the summer classes began at 6 a.m.”
He continued, “This building is the sole surviving structure of the four barracks built by the U.S. Army in the 1880s. Two were demolished and one is unaccounted for,” said Thompson, now Regents and Piper Professor of History at Texas A&M International University.
“A sense of historic significance was palpable in that beautiful old building with its wooden floors and tall windows. Throughout my 52-year career in education I have always thought of my office there as the best and most suited to my work,” he added.
Memories!! I took Speech class with Mr. Stanley Kielson at Arechiga Hall in the fall 1965 semester, back during the open-window, little oscillating-fan days. Directing and teaching Radiologic Technology at LCC from 1975 to 1999, I was honored to have Dr. Thompson call me to his office at Arechiga Hall to ask me to teach one U.S. History class in the evenings, which I did from 1988 until I left for the PhD program at the University of New Orleans in 1999. About to finish my Doctoral studies at UNO, I came to Laredo during the 2001 Mardi Gras Break and went before a TAMIU search committee. I was employed as a full-time professor of Urban Studies and History there from 2001 to 2008. Thereafter, I returned as a full-time History instructor at LC from 2008 until retiring in 2013…with my office in the second floor of Arechiga Hall! Thanks for bringing back such good memories to this lucky old teacher! 😃
It is good to know that these old buildings, which bring back so many memories, are being taken care of. My grandmother lived with her family at this Fort. She met my grandfather, Joe Leyendecker, which led to a large Leyendecker contigent in Laredo, As their grand daughter I registered for my first college education at this building at Laredo Junior College in 1960. This memorable time led me to continue my education throughout the years and now I have my Masters. Thanks LJC and Laredo for preserving this treasure.