A crowd of more than 200 city officials, arts instructors and students championed by their parents, as well as members of the general public and local media, gathered Monday in the lobby of the newly refurbished Stegman Building at 11th and Washington streets.
Mayor Tony Martinez was among the guest speakers, and reflected on what the acoustically perfect, highly engineered structure means to the Brownsville community.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for me to be here this morning,” the mayor said, “but I realize that the most important aspect of today’s celebration is I realize that this is a building that will be here for many generations.”
Martinez, noted that for many of the student musicians and singers who performed at the opening, “this building represents to the people, especially [you] boys and girls, the opportunity to make things happen.
“No one can do any of this alone, as shown by all the hard work by the City of Brownsville and all the love and energy community organizations involved in this project have continued to give over the years, you really can set the world on fire,” he added.
The size of the newly refurbished Stegman Building, originally built in 1912, is over 10,000 square feet, and the cost of the rehabilitation project, which began is 2013, was more than $10 million.
Due to the Stegman Building’s standing as a registered landmark building, all drawings for the proposed renovation were required to be reviewed and approved by the Texas Historical Commission.
Architects Munoz & Company worked hand in hand with the structural engineers for the project, Green, Rubiano & Associates, utilizing specialized restoration techniques for salvaging and repurposing original building materials, and implemented construction of new building elements that would serve to harmonize with the structure’s iconic façade.
Martinez said the project was “at the top of the historical Brownsville improvement projects,” which affirms that the renovated structure is the “most advanced building of its kind anywhere south of San Antonio.”
The project was commissioned by the City of Brownsville with assistance from the Community Development Block Grant program and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
George Ramirez, president of the non-profit Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts, is credited with the initial vision for such a facility, and commented that this new home could very well turn out to be “the heart and soul of Brownsville, representing the community’s past, present, and most importantly, its future.”
Hilda Ledezma, director of the Carlotta Petrina Cultural Center, who also established the nonprofit organization, Revival of Cultural Arts (ROCA), believes that the repurposed Stegman Building will be able to “serve pupils from age 3 to 103.”
“Our idea is to be able to offer inclusive, life-affirming cultural programs for everyone encompassing not only our youngest students, but being able to reach out to older members of our community,” Ledezma said. “And we’re grateful for the opportunity to utilize our partnerships with universities, including Our Lady of the Lake and UTRGV, as their outlet for teaching internships for music and dance majors to be able to ‘pay it forward’ to their learners.”
The restored landmark serves as the new home for the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy, operated by the Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts, and its location in the middle of downtown has been categorized as one of the most disadvantaged socio-economic areas in the nation by HUD.
During his remarks, City Commissioner Ben Neece, referring to the endeavors of his three sons in their studies of three different musical instruments, stated that the new Brownsville Performing Arts Academy would “provide youths the opportunity to make their mark.”
Neece continued, “When these students here perform in front of any audience, it instills in them a sense of confidence, as well as appreciation for the value of the discipline in going after their art that can help lead them, and Brownsville, into the future.”
Ledezma said classes at the facility will begin in late July or early August, and among the first students at BPAA will be members of ROCA’s Paper Orchestra, who accompanied the ROCA choir in its rendition of Beethoven’s “Hymn to Joy” at the morning’s festivities.
Ramirez, who attempted to humbly remain in the background, expressed his optimism that students at the new home of BPAA will come to “appreciate the holistic sense of the building,” and, “facilitate an awareness of service in each one’s pursuit of their extraordinary passion.”
