PHARR — The city of Pharr and the Greater Pharr Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of a new facility, designed to instill a sense of calm amongst visitors in need of a boost to their mental health.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Thursday evening to mark the opening of the Pharr ONE Building, located at 1121 E. Nolana Loop.
“It’s a couple of different ways that it’s going to be utilized,” Mayor Dr. Ambrosio Hernandez said. “The very first priority is mental health. We wanted to create something other than just a facade building — something that takes you away to a different time, a different perspective, a different feeling. If you look at the design, the layout, the colors, the water features, the plants and the trees, it’s totally different than from what you would expect from a city park.”
The new facility features a French-inspired park and garden, along with a reflecting fountain and an array of plants and trees. Inside the building, there are meeting rooms, an auditorium, and an innovation area that is equipped with a digital library. The facility will also feature a walking trail and an amphitheater behind the building for outdoor performances.
“It’s really meant to stimulate your brain when you look at it visually, smell, take in those beautiful aromas that are coming through, hear the water, watch the water. It’s very relaxing. It’s a reflective pool,” Hernandez said. “Taken all together, it’s something unique for the Rio Grande Valley and frankly for the city and the residents of Pharr.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony comes two years after ground was broken for the facility in November 2020. The 12,310-square-foot building sits on 5.31 acres of land. The entire project cost $11 million, which the city paid for with $5.5 million in donations, according to Hernandez.
The Warren Group Architects Inc. handled the design of the park, building and amphitheater. Natanael Perez, senior project manager for the architects, said that the building was slightly challenging to design.
“We wanted to create something that was aesthetically different and attractive, but we had a challenging budget — which is typical of many projects,” Perez said.
He said that the building meets all the energy codes and is accessible to people with disabilities.
“Overall, we wanted to have a building that is clean and inviting, and most of all that it promote education because that’s what the city of Pharr wanted to concentrate on,” Perez said. “They want to focus on improving mental health. Some of the colors that we chose for this facility are encouraging for somebody to feel calm, feel at peace, and at the same time have an environment that will help them learn.”
Mario Lizcano, chairman of the Greater Pharr Chamber of Commerce, said that there are plans to develop the area around the Pharr ONE building, and officials hope that the new facility will draw businesses to the area.
“What the chamber does is promote business and also helps retain business. We also need to make sure that they see that there’s actually more quality of life resources available inside the city,” Lizcano said. “This place is going to be utilized as a place for resources. A business can come in here and utilize not only the space that’s available … where they can come and gather and meet with other businesses. They can also make sure that they are not only networking but at the same time providing a service for the citizens.”
