National Register Listing

Newberry, J. J., Company

201--205 N. Stanton St., El Paso, TX

The Newberry Building provides a good example of the Chicago School architectural style and shows a strong influence of Louis Sullivan's designs in the rounded corner and prominent cornice. Trost's years in Chicago during the rise in prominence of architects LeBaron Jenney, Burnham and Root, and Sullivan are reflected in the structure.

The building was constructed to house Calisher's Dry Goods Company. After the lot was purchased for $125,000 and cleared of existing structures, the new building was begun at an estimated cost of $250,000. With five stories above the ground, a bargain basement, and a sub-basement to house mechanical systems, the building was to be fitted with the latest furnishings in use in eastern department stores. In order to finance the construction of the new, modern facility, the J. Calisher Company doubled its stock and organized the J. Calisher Realty Company. Throughout its history, the building has housed other businesses and has been known as the Raynold's Building and also American Furniture. In addition to those businesses, it housed the Border National Bank for a time, and the YWCA used the top two floors from the building's completion date in 1911.

Local significance of the building:
Architecture

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.