MONEY AND POLITICS TALK. AND JUST LIKE THAT, THE 1920-CIRCA SINCLAIR STATION IS GONE. SO MUCH FOR BTX'S HISTORICAL PRESERVATION B.S.

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Oh, yeah! But if you own a house in the city's historical district try to move a door or paint it the color you want.

Photograph of the Sinclair gas station in downtown Brownsville, pictured on the corner of 10th and Levee Street. The gas station, visible at center-left, is a light-colored building with several roofed gas pumps and signs bearing several wordmarks for the gas station and for Goodyear tires.

Cars turn and ambulate along the intersection in front of the gas station, and other buildings are visible further down the road to the right, such as the George Ury Motor Company. Pedestrians walk along the road's sidewalks at left and center.

It now belongs to Benito Garcia, visible at the extreme lower right walking into the picture. Garcia also bought the old HEB downtown and has been trying to buy the historical Mexican village buildings facing 10th Street across from the old Majestic theater with the aim of demolishing them to extend the parking lot. Garcia has personal connections to several city commissioners and has contributed to get them elected.

The rumor around town is that he will build a car wash at the site, despite the region's continuing problem with water shortages.

Garcia has also been the recipient of $100,000s of grants from the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) for projects such as this one and the HEB under the name Solaris, leading to the logical question: Is the BCIC contributing to the demolition of Brownsville's historical structures through its use of its publicly-funded grants? 

Hey, what the hell, the building was only 100 years old.