Roberts-Banner Building
215 N. Mesa St., El Paso, TXThe Roberts-Banner Building is significant as one of the first reinforced concrete structures in the United States. Referred to as a "skyscraper" in the El Paso Herald of 1910, the building's exposed concrete facades are surprisingly bold and direct for such a date. Claimed to be the largest office building in El Paso at the time of completion, it is also thought to be the first constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. Revealing an acceptance of the nature of the material in the simple character, the Roberts-Banner Building is in ways reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's early works in reinforced concrete. D. M. Roberts and W. M. Banner, "prominent New Mexico stock raisers" according to newspaper reports, commissioned the structure.
Local significance of the building: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.