Built in 1928 for Enrique Manautou for his clothing store, this building was designed by San Antonio architects Page Bros. This building is an excellent, finely detailed example of the 20th century Commercial style building.

In 2012, the building became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) and is a contributing building within the Central Brownsville Historic District.

MANAUTOU BUILDING MARKER INFORMATION
ENRIQUE MANAUTOU CAME TO TEXAS FROM MEXICO IN 1902. WITH AREA COMMERCE BOLSTERED BY THE ARRIVAL OF THE RAILROAD AND MEXICAN REVOLUTION REFUGEES, HE BEGAN A STRING OF DRY GOODS STORES IN THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY IN 1913. MANAUTOU MOVED TO BROWNSVILLE IN THE EARLY 1920s WITH HIS WIFE, IRENE G. MANAUTOU. IN 1928, HE OPENED THE E. MANAUTOU DEPARTMENT 
STORE IN THE HISTORIC MARKET SQUARE DISTRICT. PAGE BROTHERS ARCHITECTS OF AUSTIN DESIGNED THE TWO-STORY CHICAGO STYLE BUILDING OF BRICK, CUT STONE, PRISM GLASS CLERESTORY AND PLATE GLASS DISPLAY WINDOWS. MANAUTOU WAS A PROMINENT CITIZEN AND THE FIRST MEXICAN-AMERICAN TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE BROWNSVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.