Arts students at the largest university in deep South Texas will soon have a new place to learn as a $39 million project to turn a defunct elementary school campus into a fine arts complex gets underway.
The repurposing of what was once known as Longoria Elementary School in Brownsville is part of a massive commitment by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, or UTRGV, to expand its footprint in Brownsville and Cameron County in general. The university plans to turn the shuttered elementary school into the Brownsville Visual Arts Complex as part of an expansion of the UTRGV School of Art and Design.
UTRGV is the newest university within the University of Texas System and was created in 2013 after the Texas Legislature approved the merger of the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg and the University of Texas at Brownsville. Rebranded as UTRGV, the university began accepting its first students in 2015. Its 34,000 student enrollment makes UTRGV the ninth-largest university in Texas.
Since 2015, the school has expanded its physical footprint to include not only the two primary campus sites, but also research and teaching sites in Harlingen, Weslaco, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City and South Padre Island. In 2016, UTRGV opened the first and only medical school in deep South Texas called the UTRGV School of Medicine. In 2022, the university welcomed the School of Podiatric Medicine. And this fall, UTRGV will begin playing Division I college football for the first time.
Earlier this year, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the city of Brownsville, affirming its commitment to invest more heavily in the city. The memorandum codified earlier decisions by the school and the University of Texas System regents, who in February 2024 approved the purchase of Longoria Elementary. The Brownsville Independent School District shuttered the campus in 2019 due to declining enrollment.
Renovation work is expected to begin in late September, according to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records, which are subject to change. The filings show that UTRGV will spend $21 million to renovate about 43,000 square feet of floor space spread across 14 existing buildings and to build two new buildings. Construction is expected to be completed by next year. However, the total renovation cost will likely be higher, according to UTRGV records.
The repurposing of Longoria Elementary is just the latest development in the expansion of UTRGV’s arts programs. In November 2023, the school also purchased the historic Majestic Theatre located in Brownsville’s picturesque downtown. The theater serves as a performance, rehearsal and instructional space for students, UTRGV officials said in a 2023 news release announcing the closing of the purchase.