Former elementary in Brownsville, Texas, will become university arts facility

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is spending $39 million to transform a shuttered elementary school campus in Brownsville into a visual arts complex.

MySanantonio.com reports that the plans for the Brownsville Visual Arts Complex at the former Longoria Elementary School are part of a commitment by the university to expand its footprint in Brownsville and Cameron County.

The 4.24-acre elementary school will become the permanent home of the School of Art and Design. The university intends to renovate about 43,000 square feet of floor space spread across 14 existing buildings and to construct two new buildings. Construction is expected to begin in September and be completed by next year.

The University of Texas System regents approved the purchase of Longoria Elementary last year. The Brownsville Independent School District closed the campus in 2019 because of declining enrollment.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was created in 2013 through the merger of the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg and the University of Texas at Brownsville.