2017 0711 Downtown People at Work

 This fire truck has a spout in front of its grill which can spray water in any direction.  

 This looks like an unmanned fire truck drone but there's actually a driver in there somewhere

 Curbside service this side of Market Square....

 On the other side, brick pavers paving the pavement around Market Square

 Ricardo Carlos and Larry Lof aloft the balcony of the Olvera building on the Market Square side

Los dos carpinteros at Olvera building facing E Washington

 Minerva and Martin & Son are also owners of my favorite restaurant downtown

 With all the photos we've seen posted of buildings we thought it would be nice to show some of the people working downtown who are making these historic changes at an exciting time.

 Applying a broom finish to cement curb

Right outside the Kraken Lounge "Zeke" sold me a military camouflage bush hat with snap pins for side brim fastening and mesh fabric for air-cooling for $2 downtown!

1960 Cameron County Sheriff's Posse beach patrol

 1960 Sergeant Rodolfo Zapata at right next to high-speed allowance on beach sign

  1960 Sergeant Rodolfo Zapata and unidentified officer

 First Aid station with fleet of off-road vehicles

 They rounded up the men for this newspaper photo (year unknown)

[photos shared by Gloria Zapata and Frank Rosas via Brownsville Station FB page]

Martin Falcon Gutierrez (2nd from right) and Ambrosio Cantu (far right) and the Sheriff's Posse Cameron County 

Martin Falcon Gutierrez 

Martin Falcon Gutierrez photos shared by his son who contacted us through this blog.  June 2021

1978 0806 Valley's Oldest Law Officer Remains Active

Has Served 51 Years As A Law Enforcer
by Betty Shepard - Valley Morning Star News Staff 

 Ed Moody ~ Valley Morning (Star Photo) ~ Los Fresnos 

"Dead Man's Curve" Google aerial map view courtesy of Ron & Kathy Ogdee @ "Growing up San Benito"

1953 Jose Rodriguez Torres was suspected of brutally murdering goat herder Juan Meza whose head was struck about ten times.  with a small ax or hatchet.  Deputy Luis Cortez was the size of a giant. (Brownsville Herald archives)

1976 Ed Moody Sr sworn in as Laguna Vista Police Chief (Vol. 26 No. 49 Port Isabel / South Padre Press Decemeber 2, 1976)

Thanks to Ed and Ceci Moody for sharing this real history of a border law enforcer.  Dead Man's Curve image shared by Leo Rodriguez, administrator of "Growing up San Benito, Texas" FB page.  Illustration by Charles Shaw - Texas Monthly Hunting Guide by John Jefferson.

Shepard, Betty.  "Valley's Oldest Law Officer Remains Active:  Has Served 51 Years As A Law Enforcer."  Valley Morning Star.  p.D-10.  Sunday, August 6, 1978.

2017 - Complete Dome Replacement at Market Square / old Town Hall

Photos by Roberto J. Ruiz Architect, Inc

 Highly visible structural cracks made complete replacement necessary

 Replica mosaic tile

Top of dome

Inflatable balloon 

Dome support for mosaic tiles

The bell was restored and reinstalled. Due to its severe deterioration the dome was completely redone from scratch ~ Roberto J. Ruiz Architect, Inc.

Tower interior with reinstalled bell

Thanks again to Roberto J. Ruiz for sharing these close-up views

2017 0707 Downtown Improvement Update

by Javier R. Garcia

Wide Robert Runyonesque panoramic image of Market Square / City Hall.  Six photos were merged to create this from balcony of Olvera building.

 The cupola is looking like new.

 There will probably be tables installed on this slab of cement with embedded screw pins.

City workers and P.U.B. workers seeing upgrade of electrical box at old Market Square / City Hall building

 These table benches have chess boards built into them.  

 We may be seeing some close ups of Stegman project pretty soon .  Check this blog for updates.  

 The Olvera building balcony facing Market Sqaure is coming along fine.

Joining old wood with new makes for a sound restoration project!

It's not as important how much is spent on restoration as it is how much love and care is put into it.

Exterior doors facing E Washington St.

Los Hermanos Carlos & Co. of Rival Builders working on transoms

Brownsville has probably see enough "graffiti art" for a while.  There's too much of it already.

c2011 photo of the JL Putegnat building 

The J.L. Putegnat building on E Elizabeth is being restored by Balli Realty Group, LLC

These doors and stain-glass frames will look beautiful once they're finished.

These tiles slope toward front entrance...

... and are included in display bays on both sides of the entrance

Balli associates assembling framing as they work on restrooms

Decorated pane glass (photo enhanced by Bronsbil Estacion)

Decorated transom glass pane window (photo enhanced by Bronsbil Estacion)

Decorated pane glass (photo enhanced by Bronsbil Estacion)

Keep checking Bronsbil Estacion blog for more downtown updates.