Samano Building: Historic Adaptive Reuse in Brownsville

In late 2020, we began work with our partner cdcb on an exciting historic adaptive reuse of the Samano Building in downtown Brownsville. Located at 1158 E. Elizabeth Street, the property consists of five stories, each approximately 5,775 square feet, with a basement. Originally built as a bank in 1925, the Samano building most recently was a Payless Shoe Store, followed by a period of vacancy until cdcb acquired the building.

When complete, the Samano Building will include a small grocery store and coffee shop on the ground floor (filling the gap in nutritious grocery access left when HEB moved from its downtown location), coworking/office spaces on the middle floor, and 34 units of affordable housing on the top floors with set-asides for citizens in transition. 

Check out these photos of Samano - including what it looked like in its heyday and a rendering of what the building will look like when work is complete!

Samano soon after construction at 1158 E. Elizabeth Street

Samano soon after construction at 1158 E. Elizabeth Street

The building as it stands today

The building as it stands today

The future Samano Building - rendering by Donald Hickman

The future Samano Building - rendering by Donald Hickman