Mission Historical Preservation Commission member saddened by demolition of Roosevelt Auditorium

MISSION, Texas - Julie Saenz has been a member of Mission Historical Preservation Commission for many years.She said her group was never consulted by Mission City Council over a decision to cut the city’s Historical District in half.In 2015 the Historical District was shrunk to make it easier for the City to grant planning permission to build. But a consequence of this action was the elimination of all the historic buildings south of the railroad tracks from protection by the City.As a result, the city’s preservation ordinance did not apply to the nationally listed Roosevelt Auditorium. So, when Mission CISD sought a permit from the City of Mission to demolish the building there was no ordinance in place to prevent the school district doing so.Now, Mission City Council is revamping its preservation ordinance so that other nationally listed buildings south of the railroad tracks do not get demolished. It particularly wants to save the Rio Theater, La Lomita Mission, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, and the Mission Pump House. Roosevelt Auditorium was built in 1929 as part of Roosevelt Elementary School on the “Mexican” side of Mission. It was placed on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Saenz was saddened to see Roosevelt Auditorium demolished. Here is an interview with Saenz. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.