The San Antonio & Aransas Pass (subsidiary of the Southern Pacific) Railway laid track south to the Rio Grande Valley and McAllen in 1927. This passenger depot, designed by railroad architect Leonard B. McCoy, opened in August that year. The structural tile building is stuccoed and detailed in Spanish colonial revival style. Passenger service ceased in 1952, and the building was occupied from 1953 to 1985 by public agencies, including the city police, jail, and municipal court.