Construction begins on Pharr’s $60M multi-purpose center. See the vision

City of Pharr leaders were bullish about the potential for a $60 million multi-purpose center, a flexible, modern 83,567-square-foot building designed for anything from conventions or graduations to proms to business conferences and even performances, on a 14.6-acre site. 

“We didn’t want a cookie-cutter, four-walls-only event center. We wanted something with architecture that speaks to the entire nation, that the Rio Grande Valley has a lot of culture, a lot of artistic qualities, and we’re hungry for the arts,” said Dr. Ambrosio Hernandez, a pediatric surgeon by trade and mayor of Pharr since 2015. “So the facade had to match the vision.” 

City leaders previously discussed using the multi-purpose center for public safety seminars, as an emergency response shelter during disasters, and to house city administration offices. The center was described this week as a “modern civic facility that will support city operations, emergency preparedness, and community programming under one roof.” The building could fit about 3,800 visitors, depending on the configuration. 

“It’s up to the public about what they want [to host there],” Hernandez said. “There’s no point in building just another arena when we have a perfectly working one in Edinburg, no reason to build a big concert center when we have one in McAllen. We’re not here to be competing, we’re here to be complementary to each other.” 

Officials approved issuing up to $60 million in tax-and-revenue bonds to finance the building’s construction in April, meaning it’s a taxpayer-funded project. The project was previously estimated to cost $40 million, but is now projected to cost at least $50 million, likely closer to $60 million. 

“But with construction, we all know that once bids start coming in, it’ll be what it is,” Hernandez said. “We see it as a return on investment because what’s important to us is quality of life; [revenue-generation] is not the priority, but I’m sure that it will be, which will be icing on the cake.” 

Construction began on Wednesday at the intersection of U.S. 281 and Ferguson Avenue, with McAllen-based D. Wilson Construction Co. as the general contractor and The Warren Group Architects as the designers. During construction, about 500 jobs are expected to be created in the city, with subcontracting to local suppliers. Leaders hope the investment will spur more private-sector development in the area, as it’s near Pharr Town Center, a central retail development. 

The city has heavily invested in its municipal building footprint in recent years, but some of the projects were undertaken in partnership and supported by state funding or donations, while others have been retrofitted for different purposes since their construction. 

In 2011, the Pharr Events Center, once known as the Boggus Ford Events Center, was a 2,500-seat multi-purpose indoor arena near Cage Boulevard and Sioux Road. In 2021, the Pharr Events Center was repurposed as the city’s EMS headquarters. In 2025, it was re-purposed again as the state-run tuition-free public school for adults in South Texas known as the PossAble Dream Adult High School. 

In 2013, Pharr opened an outdoor aquatic center near U.S. 281 and Ridge Road. 

In 2018, the city opened the $3 million South Pharr Research and Development Center, which includes library resources and a business center. 

In 2022, the city opened its 12,990-square-foot Pharr ONE complex, an $11 million community center near Nolana Loop and North Veterans Boulevard. That same year, the $26 million Pharr-PSJA ISD-UTRGV natatorium — or 72,800-square-foot indoor swimming pool complex – opened its doors near U.S. 281 and Sioux Road. 

In 2025, the city opened its Pharr Connect Innovation Center, which serves as the headquarters of its information technology department and its municipal broadband internet business.