The Alice Texas Mexican Railway Depot in the 1960s. Photo colorized by the Alice Reporter.
ALICE, Texas — Efforts to preserve the historic Texas Mexican Railway depot in downtown Alice are continuing as local leaders and railroad heritage advocates work toward an agreement involving the historic building.
Some local residents have called for the old depot to be turned into a museum, while others have suggested turning the former transit station into a restaurant, cafe, or combination of all the above.
According to Gary Rodriguez of the Alice Railroad Heritage Museum, a division of the San Antonio Railroad Heritage Museum, negotiations involving the museum, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the City of Alice over the depot are ongoing.
The expansion of rail lines service during the 19th and 20th century, including the Texas Mexican Railway, helped establish Alice as the Hub City, strengthening its role in the area’s economic development and connecting local ranchers, merchants and residents to opportunities beyond South Texas.
The depot’s historical significance also extends beyond its role in Alice’s development. It is one of only two known surviving depots associated with the Texas-Mexican Railway, the other being the historic depot in Laredo, making it a rare surviving link to the railroad’s legacy in South Texas.
The historic depot in Hebbronville was recently demolished by the railroad earlier this year, further underscoring the loss of historic railroad structures across the region.
Alice also once had sister depots in Corpus Christi and San Diego that shared the same construction and architectural design, although both buildings have since been lost to time.
The remaining Alice depot stands as a link to the railroad network that connected South Texas communities and helped drive their growth. Its future now depends, in part, on the outcome of ongoing discussions between the railroad and city officials.
