Former Brownsville ISD building found to be sitting unoccupied. (Revisited)

A former Brownsville ISD building was found by Michael Mixerr during real estate research on propertyshark.com and had appeared to be sitting unoccupied. According to propertyshark.com, this two story building was rebuilt in 1940 with extended alterations made in 1945. However than is only partially correct. This building was originally built in 1904.

Brownsville ISD purchased a parcel of land at 314 West Elizabeth Street in Brownsville, Texas around 1904 for an annex building to serve Brownsville High School and Central High School. A large 2-story rectangular building was built that same year.

William Henry Putegnat IV purchased this property from Brownsville ISD in 1914 to open his family business which was a dry cleaning business called Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company. William Henry Putegnat IV was the-then manager of Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company at the time. This building was rebuilt in 1924.

Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company was a branch of Model Industrial Services. From the 1920s to the 1990s, Model Industrial Corporation, Model Laundry Dry Cleaning Co., Laundry Dry Cleaning Co., and Model Industrial Services Inc occupied this building.

William Henry Putegnat IV and Michael Putegnat IV sold Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company along with Model Industrial Services in 1986 which resulted in a merger. The family dry cleaning business still operated despite the merger. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0079467700)

Everybody in town knew it was noontime by the whistle blowing at Model Laundry as it was heard all over town. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/407059346/)

[As chairman of the review board, Mendez, who is also cofounder and vice president of the Brownsville Preservation Society, only votes in case of a tie. “It’s just another building that tells Brownsville’s story, and it’s unfortunate that it’s going to be lost,” he said. “For some people it’s progress and for others it’s not.” Michael Putegnat, whose father was William Putegnat III, and whose brother Michael Putegnat IV sold Model Laundry a decade ago or so, said he remembers plenty about the building. “That building on corner was the whole laundry at first,” he said. “The offices were in a mezzanine in front. It was a retail laundry, then my dad and uncle got the idea of getting into commercial laundry.” The lives of at least two generations of Putegnats centered on the Elizabeth Street business, Putegnat said. “It was the first job I really ever had,” he said. “We all worked there in the summer.” Putegnat said a train whistle mounted on the laundry’s steam boiler sounded every day at noon to let employees know it was time for lunch. “They’d pull that thing and it gave a whistle,” he said. “It was heard all over town. Everybody in town knew it was noontime by the whistle blowing at Model Laundry.”]

The State of Texas shut down Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company after non-payment of franchise taxes in 1996. This led the building to soon become abandoned. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0102411700)

Texas Commission for Environmental Quality discovered the water supply at the former  Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company building had been contaminated with chlorinated solvents during a groundwater maintenance check back in 2006. The situation was remedied. (Ref: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/comm_exec/pubs/sfr/056-13.pdf)


Over several years many businesses have leased this building such as Norman's Air Conditioning, Salinas Model Industrial Services, and River Linen Service among others.

River Linen Service operated out of this building from 2002 to 2009. Bill Putegnat Jr. operated River City Linen Service in Brownsville until his retirement in 2010. River Linen Service was a laundrymat similar to Model Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/668551545/)

Brownsville Historic Preservation and Design Review Board green-lighted the property owner’s request to demolish the structure on March 9, 2018. The old Model Laundry building had been approved for demolition by the Brownsville Historic Preservation and Design Review Board. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/407059329/)

The address was 314 West Elizabeth Street, Brownsville, Texas, US 78520.