El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-27

In the two story Davis DlOck ABOVE
mentioned. the first occupants in 1881
were as follows. counting from north
70 south The first was Jack Whlte
hardware store the next was j.
Schwingle's grocery store, the Inlro
was Lightbody & James's clothing
store and the last on the corner was
l. H Davis's Rio Grande pharmacy
and kiersky's stationery store at the
corner Of west Overland street.
On the corner next south. were two
one story adobe buildings. first Occu-
pied by Charles Merrick, and below was
n Ullman's furniture store. In 1885
Merrick erected the present three
story building in which is shelton
Payne Arms Co. In the rear Of this on
Overland street was :, H. Newman s
Lone Star office In 1928. A few yards
below this was the old Coliseum build
ing afterward called the National
theater. large adobe building in which
were saloons, gambling and a variety
theater. in the early 'SO's attended by
nearly every business and professional
man and others. 1t was the Wickedest
place in town. Here the notorious DR.
Cummings was killed. On the site of
this building was erected the Myar
Opera house in 1883, which was
destroyed by fire some years ago.
Lower Fl PasO Street.
Below this down 10 Second street
there were erected in 1884 the Windsor
hotel and Paul Keatings Chief saloon
and several other two story buildings
Here in 1884 the office Of city engineer
a H. Parker was located
On the southwest corner of Fl Paso
and Second streets. in 1852, Bassett
erected two story brick building,
which was first occupied by the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Wholesale Grocery
Co. the first wholesale grOcers IN III
Paso. The Goodman Produce Co, Oc-
cupies the same store room now In
the same year ketelsen & Degetau built
their two story block on the southwest
corner Of Fifth and Fl PasO streets
and moved all their stock from san
Francisco street into it This was
then the only structure of any kind
in that locality except the santa te
depot In 1882 the street car line was
laid down II Paso street, under charge
OF savage and G. n Marshall,
engineers.
The Old First Ward
West Of FL Paso street most Of the
dwellings were made Of adobe The
first modern style residence was erect
ed on Leon street and well known as
the "Mansard roof; the second was the
present residence of Rattenbury on
the same street J. A Smith later
owned the Mansard roof and lived
there several years. The next houses
of note were those OF Mrs Leighy,
Joseph Sweeney, J. F. FriedenblOOm. J.
p. Hague, Col. Lane, ThOs- Kelly. Mrs
Prieto, Edmond Slime Meisel, Merrill.
George Look and c. o. Coffin on west
Overland Santa Fe chihuahua and
Durango streets built in the early
eighties
The Franklin school was built in
1890 The old city hall at the south
west corner Of West Overland and
Santa Fe streets was built in 1855 by
Mckinzie, general manager Of the
Mexican Central railroad. and by him
leased 10 the city. 1t IS now owned
by the NOake Carriage Co. Here was
held the great contest over the cleo
ton between MOrehead and Krakauer
at the end Of LightbOdy's mayoralty.
In 1883 a street car line was run
down Santa Fe street and over to
JuareZ. under charge Of A II. Parker
the engineer Zack White and Samuel
Schultz were chief owners The gas plant
was erected on chihuahua street in
san Antonio Street Landmarks.
While the changes and improvements
On FL PasO street and on the west side
seem wonderful, those along San An
tonic street and on both sides of it
are more marvellous. In 1881 there
were on that street only two brick
or,mOdern structures; W. 5. Hills's real
estate office, still standing Just across
the street from the Turner block and
the FeWel building at the northeast
corner Of FL PasO and San Antonio
streets mot the present building).
These with the exception Of the frame
building erected in June Of that year
just west of HIS office building con-
stituted all the new buildings erected
that year All the rest We're few
adobe buildings scattered along for
three blocks east from FL Paso to Utah
fMesaD street Beyond these eastward
clear TO MagOffinsVille, then away out
IN the country, san Antonio street and
It's fork, MagOffin avenue, were simply
a winding country road with plenty Of
mesquite brush in the middle Of the
track Its only importance was the
fact that it led down to Ysleta, ths
county seat
W :. Hills was at that time agent
OF the Campbell Real Estate company,
Of rich St Louis heirs. The
estate owned nearly three-fOurths Of
the townsite. With Hills was his
friend C. O. stanton, a young attorney,
ana they bunked together in the office.
and were selling lots to any one who
mad the nerve 70 invest The building
vas Two stories nigh. In the upper
sloiy ar. and Mrs. ThOms COnklin had
Ilelr llflng apartments and later on
there.
. In June Of the same year Emerson
- = 49, zen o4lIt a wooden store near
Sne story high, and occupied it as their
urnllure store, the first retail bust
ness mouse ever opened on San Antonio
sueet- = = White burned the brick
-or the Hills building.
In Nay, 1881 Blacker. Flood & Rally
occupied the present site Of the Parlor
saloon liz FeWels building. corner OF
sssh antonio and FL PasO street. "A
-eW weeks after the State National
1ank rented the same corner and
iOteQ IN remaining there until If
lloAeu 70 us present quarters on the
-5lleIs or oregon and San Antonio
streets the next year
Old Buildings still Stand.
~. - - BUSINESS house opened was
ne Jewelry store Of PiontoVvsI1i on the
'lte or the present Wells-Fargo build-
lg on san Antonio street east of the
lrst National bank. The third store
5Peheu on this street was the Rio
frande pharmacy owned bv I. II. Davis
u IAe building he erected in December
psi the same one now occupied by
ne frlLnIn cigar store and pool rooms
vest OF the Parlor saloon Just 20
Get east OF him J. P. Hague erected a
Wo story building, January. 1892.
1s used the upper story for his law
nee ana the store room below was
occupied by Willfams's shoe store IT
s now the Crystal moving picture
-AoJolning Hague's building, Bassett
..eIted two story brick building