John Z. Leyendecker, a German immigrant who settled in the Texas Hill Country in 1845, came to Laredo between 1848 and 1850. A prominent merchant, Confederate army officer and civic leader, he built this house in 1866. His first wife was Maria Andrea Benavides, daughter of a prominent Laredo family. After her death he married her sister, Juliana. The house remained in the family until 1995. Designed in the "Mudejar" (Moorish) tradition, its features include a concrete cornice, arched doorway and flared pilaster base. The asymmetrical plan features patios (corredores) and arcades (galerias). Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1999