The McAllen School Board authorized construction of Lamar High School in 1938, through a bond election and funding from the Public Works Administration. Architect Marion Lee Waller’s original design included an L-shaped floor plan only one room deep, with east- and south-facing classrooms opening onto breezeways for maximum circulation in the days before air conditioning. The school operated as a high school for only five years, until development of a new site; this campus has continued as a junior high school with several additions. The Spanish Colonial Revival Style two-story reinforced concrete and wood framed building features a buff brick exterior, clay tile roof and cast stone detailing.