THE VARISCO DEVELOPER: BIAGIO 'BRAZOS' VARISCO

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The 7-story late-Deco period style Varisco Building was developed in 1948 (completed 1949) by Biagio (Brazos) Varisco, a notable Brazos County agriculturalist, and developer. Born in Poggioreale, Trapani, Italy, on October 12, 1902, Varisco immigrated to the U.S. in 1907 and was soon working with his father and brother in the Brazos Valley.

Gifted with a logistical mind, a love for business and tireless energy, Varisco quickly grew into a successful planter and business owner. Over time, he acquired 3,100 acres of land, of which 2,300 acres was devoted to cotton raising. Together with his father and a brother named Giuseppe, Varisco purchased a cotton gin capable of processing 2,000 bales of cotton a year. He also bought five airplanes for agricultural spraying. With the wealth he gained from his farms in the Brazos bottomlands, Varisco aided the growth of downtown Bryan and the region in general.

After erecting the then-modern & air-conditioned Varisco Building in 1948-49,  Biago, now known as 'Brazos', eventually became the owner of many other downtown structures. Brazos Varisco played vital civic and economic development roles in Bryan-College Station and remained active in his businesses until his death in 1974.  -Redacted from Texas Handbook of History and other sources, 2019.