Founded in 1904 on the north bank of the Arroyo Colorado, Harlingen's transportation connections made it the gatekeeper of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Located precisely at the point where rail lines and later major highways turn north to Corpus Christi, Harlingen's strong railroad presence, including repair shops, freight depots, exchange lines, together with agricultural warehouses and processing plants, provided the wealth to build schools and fine houses in the 1920s and 1930s. Prosperity in the post–World War II period afforded opportunity to a new group of modernist architects, including John G. York and Alan Taniguchi.
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