By Juan MontoyaA few months ago, the Charles Stillman Laureles Ranch Love Shack was conveniently forgotten in a field of weeds outside Corpus Christi, bothering no one.
When the members of the Corpus Christi Historical Society heard that some of the Robber Baron's progeny might still be around in Brownsville, they contacted them and offered them the, ahem, house. Well, the Brownsville descendants of Don Carlos bit the bait and transported the house – at some expense, we might add – to an empty lot on the corner of Madison and 14th Street.
In one fell swoop, the CC historical guys not only got rid of an eyesore but at the same time got someone to pay to haul it away.
The plans were to landscape the empty lot and plant laureles (oleanders), coming as bilingually close to the mountain laurel that grew at the original site on the King Ranch where it was built.
Even though Brownsville resident Alexander Stillman, a direct descent of Charles Stillman, and other members of the Stillman family, are reluctant to admit that Charles may have used the Laureles ranch crib as a love nest for those long lonely days when he yearned for the warm embraces of his wife Elizabeth, far away in the cold north, there are many sly tongues that have alleged that Charles succumbed to that usual downfall of the gringos who take a hankering for the local "signoritas."
There is a Stillman branch, they say, in northern Tamaulipas.
Compared to the formal Stillman brick house located at the corner of 13th and East Washington streets, the old "new" house is a mite rustic.
For years, it languished in the Laureles Ranch, an old Spanish land grant 22 miles south of Corpus Christi. Then, the King Ranch stewards, deciding it was eyesore compared to the other houses on the spread, had it moved off the ranch several years ago and placed under thecontrol of the Corpus Christi Heritage Society. For decades, it languished in relative obscurity. Then the CC historical guys hit upon the Brownsville solution. Give it to a Stillman descendant and have him get rid of it.
Larry Lof, president of the Gorgas Science Foundation, UTB professor emeritus and an ardent historic preservationist, said the house would require at least two lots.
A master of the understatement, Lof said the crib could use a little sprucing up.
“It’s not a townhouse, so it needs a little space around it even it if it’s in town,” he told the local daily. “We have a lot of buildings that are close to each other and close to the street. This one needs more space.”
Unbeknownst to the Brownsville Historical Association, Mayor Tony Martinez had plans for that specific spot where the house was to adorn our fair city. His dabbling in downtown real-estate speculation put an end to its tranquil existence on the forgotten corner. Where to put the Stillman shack was the farthest thing from anyone's mind, Da Mayor's especially.
The city, during a recent meeting, approved the renting the property adjacent to the Cueto and Lucena buildings at $2,500 per month for three years, which means that it will pay the renter $90,000 after those 36 months. The rental agreement with the original owner stipulates that after the three-year rental is over, the city has an option to buy at a fair market value. The city, in a real sweetheart-deal with with UTB, will allow the university to have the property in return for them paving the parking lot.
That means that with UTB paving the land for a parking lot, it will be a wash.
That left out Charlie's Love Shack.
Now that UTB is moving ahead with constructing the parking lot, city guys looked long and hard for a final resting place for the battered 1840 circa structure, or what's left of it.
Why not, someone probably thought, not put it along the linear park next to the art made from recycled tires, decapitated Greek gods' heads, and incomprehensible "art" like that depicted in the picture above. Placed next to that art piece that resembles a corkscrew from the innards of an oil refinery, it would fit right in.
Now when a visitor to Brownsville and takes a walking tour by the Gladys Porter Zoo, he can go directly to the Brownsville Museum of Modern Art, have the kids crawl inside the open cranium of Hercules, marvel at the man-like figures made of recycled car tire strips, look at the red caboose where local lore says Mr. Besteiro makes his final resting place, and then saunter over and gape at the crib where Charles use to slum in on the patch of King Ranch known as the Laureles Section.
Really, guys. You've got to be kidding.
8 comments:
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Apparently this is a politically incorrect house. There may be lots of other examples of this house around where you hang out but I haven't seen one so I think it is cool that we will have this in our community. Sure, it is over 100 years old and needs work. So what? Do the work.
Tell me, if this had been Chino Cortinas' house would it be more acceptable? This seems like an extension of the venom you spew at the Stillmans unto the current generation. Sure, there is a lot of negative stuff to be said about their ancestor but when do you get over it? What atonement do you require? Yes, I know Anglos stole Texas from Mexico. Where did Mexico get it? They stole it from Spain. Spain stole it from the natives and the natives stole it from the natives that were there before they got there and so forth.
You know, the Aztecs were a fierce tribe who used force and religion and civil government to steal territory from people who were there when they got there. Does this sound familiar? Isn't it pretty much what Stillman did? And what the Maya did and what the Athabascans did when they crossed the Bering Straight and moved into North America (minus the civil government.)
What an eyesore and rathole to have on Linear Park. Who is going to pay for the restoration? Who approved this piece of crap being added to Linear Park? What a mess this city is. What poor leadership and policy makers we have. Just another example of ego over good sense.
I think the house looks great. So glad it finally is home in the Stillman park by the Stillman bike trail.
The Mexicans never did anything with this part of the world, but the "Anglos" brought capitol, innovation and energy with them and 99.9% of what we have today is a result of their efforts.
Today the decedents of those who did nothing, carp and criticize about those who did. None of you would have jack shit, if the hated gringos did not lay the foundation upon which you built your small and petty lives.
You only have to go to the end of Elizbeth street and look across the bridge to see what this country would look like and smell like, if the anglos had not come this far south.
You La Raza types are a pretty small minded and short sighted bunch of failures.
It is true. Brownsville can look worse when I thought it could not. .. I would like to know the name of the person who approved this plan. I hope the natives shoot it with a flaming arrow.
An historic building is never ugly.. it just needs to be restored a bit. and to the 1:28, the Spanish ancestors of the Mexicans are the only people who were able to successfully settle the Rio Grande and establish civilization! Sure, anglo settlement has made a difference, but that settlement dates back to Matamoros long before the U.S. acquired this property. Anyway, to say that the Mexican's never did anything is idiotic!
The Spanish ancestor of the Mexicans replicated their feudal Spanish culture, drove off or killed off the Indians and used the mestizo children as peons to work the land, in a state of serfdom.
If you want to call that successfully settle the area and establish civilization then I guess you can, but I don't buy it.
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