Historic Hotels Restored, Others Linger
(Continued)
This undated photo shows the Reese Hotel in Harlingen, Texas. The renovation of the Reese drove a push to revive the city’s historic Jackson Street district. (AP Photo/Valley Morning Star, Dina Arevalo)
In 1997, she and her husband planned the renovation of the building they bought for about $300,000.
“It was a passion,” she said. “We had to completely gut the whole thing – plumbing, electrical, everything.
We didn’t have a drawing – it was just all in your mind. My mind remembers pictures of all the places I’ve been to in the world and I thought, ‘I want to do that, I want to copy that.”’
In 1998, the couple opened the Villa de Cortez, which features a ballroom, restaurant and retail and office space.
“It makes me feel good. It’s just real neat,” she said. “We thought it was time to give back to the city. I don’t think there’s anything I could do different. I feel so thankful that the citizens of Weslaco can come and feel connected.”
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