Birger A. Elwing
Birger August Elwing (1867–1935) is considered one of the pioneer builders of the Rio Grande Valley. He was born in Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden on June 13, 1867, to Henrik and Edla Elwing. He earned a degree in architecture from a university in Gothenburg, Sweden.
On December 16, 1898, he married Signe Charlotta Elisabet Hedström just six days before setting sail from Liverpool to the United States. The couple settled in Maricopa County, AZ, where Elwing worked as a farmer. By 1901, the couple relocated to Santa Ana, CA, where Elwing partnered with Clarence Purrington Tedford to design private residences and buildings, including the historic Rankin Building in 1917.
In 1919, Elwing joined Frances Z. Bishop’s real estate development company located in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Perhaps through this affiliation Elwing met fellow architect Roy W. Mulhausen because the two soon partnered to design several buildings throughout the valley, most notably the Baxter Building and Baptist Sanitarium in Harlingen. (See also Mulhausen.)
Elwing and Mulhausen parted ways after the Baxter Building, but Elwing continued practicing architecture independently. One of his most notable works was the 1928 L. E. Snavely House, also known as “La Bonita,” in Harlingen.
Elwing lived in the Valley until his death in 1935.
School Buildings
Located at the corner of Main Street and Scobey Avenue, the Old Donna Central Elementary School structure is the oldest in the Donna Independent School District. It was built as a result of a special bond election held on February 28, 1925, for the construction and equipping of new schools and the upkeep of the present school buildings.
The school was designed by Elwing & Mulhausen in a Mediterranean style with an exterior of red brick and a trim of molded concrete. It contained a two-story central block with a Tudor-arched entry way and symmetrical towers on the front corners.
Originally utilized as an elementary school, the building was also used at a junior high school from 1965-1983, renamed as Central Junior High. It was recognized as a Texas Landmark in 1990 and has since been renamed J. P. LeNoir Elementary School after the building received revitalization work.
Elwing & Mulhausen also designed Stuart Place School (1923), the Raymondville School (1924), El Jardin School (1925), and Harlingen High School (1929) and Mercedes Junior High School (1927).
Baxter Building
Located at 106 S A St. in Harlingen, Texas, the Baxter Building stands at nine-stories. It was the tallest building in the Rio Grande Valley until 1971; although, it is still the tallest building in Harlingen. Elwing & Mulhausen designed the building as a speculative office tower, exhibiting features commonly found in skyscrapers in the 1920s. The design features contrasting bricks, a fenestration pattern, multiple ground-level storefronts, cornice and pendants for decorative emphasis.
The building was named after Robert W. Baxter who purchased the land the building would be constructed on. He saw the skyscraper as a means to “commensurate the potential he saw embodied in Harlingen.” The building was sold in 2019 and renovated. It is the current home to Baxter Lofts, an apartment complex. The Baxter Building was the last project that Elwing & Mulhausen designed together. (See also Mulhausen).
Additional Resources
Central Elementary School Donna, Texas 68, 1988, Container: 79, Box: 2, Folder: 26. Hidalgo County Historical Commission Collection, ELIBR-0079. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Special Collections and Archives, Edinburg Campus.
Details for Donna Central Elementary School. Texas Historic Sites Atlas.
Donna Central Elementary School via Historical Markers database.
Donna Central Elementary School, 1988, 1991, Container: 79, Box: 6, Folder: 25. Hidalgo County Historical Commission Collection, ELIBR-0079. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Special Collections and Archives, Edinburg Campus.
Gerald Moorhead et al., "Commercial Building (Mercedes High School)", [Mercedes, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—.
Harlingen, Baxter Building National Register Draft SBR.
Katie Sees the Baxter Building (blog), August 14, 2019.
Rozeff, Norman. (2006 Apr 20). Hospital Was Community Effort. Valley Morning Star (newspaper), Rio Living, C2.