Visitor's Complex and Plaza

Urban issues in small towns are no less consequential in their context than of those in metropolitan areas. In the remote border town of Roma, population 11,500, economic challenges facing the largely Mexican- American ranching community were compounded by its dwindling downtown and outlying sprawl. Preceded by acquisition and stabilization, this project is the second of a multi-phased master plan to conserve the Roma National Historic Landmark District, consolidate the town's cultural center and revitalize its economy.

Founded in 1848 on the c.1765 Rancho de Buena Vista, historic Roma surmounts a dramatic promontory overlooking the Rio Grande River at its highest navigable reach and flourished as a trade hub for steamboat and overland freight. The sloping 2-block long plaza was a utilitarian space for marshaling animals and wagons, but with the parish church commanding its high end is a unique hybrid of Spanish Colonial and American riverboat townscape.

The City of Roma's historic plaza and the surrounding buildings are designated by the National Register of Historic Places as the Roma National Historic Landmark District. Although the city was once an active steamboat port and overland link to Mexico, Roma's downtown declined during the 20th Century until local leaders successfully applied for TXDOT TEA-21 funds to restore five historic buildings from the 1850's.

The renovation and restoration conducted by Kell Muñoz Architects resulted in a Visitors Center, a City Museum, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife World Birding Center, civic offices, and the reworking of the plaza with new landscaping and parking. These improvements reestablished the historic character of the plaza, refocused community activity, accommodated increased tourism, and boosted economic development.