White House Department Store and Hotel McCoy
109 Pioneer Plaza, El Paso, TXThe White House Department Store/Hotel McCoy, prominently sited as the terminal point of South El Paso Street, a major north-south axis between El Paso and Juarez, is an outstand- ing example of the Chicago School format. Since its opening in 1912, the first floor and basement housed the store while the remaining six floors were occupied by the Hotel McCoy, still in operation.
In September 1900, Felix Brunschwig along with three nephews, Gaston, Myrtil, and Arthur Coblentz came to El Paso from the "City of London" store in Juarez and opened the White House at San Antonio and Oregon Streets. Incorporated in 1903, the business grew rapidly and expanded into adjoining space. By 1912 this prosperous growth necessitated a move and a two-story brick building known as the "Little Plaza" was razed to make way for the present structure. Formal evening ceremonies in September of 1912 marked the opening of the new White House which was essentially a ladies' ready-to-wear and specialty store. The store earned a reputation of offering current styles and attentive service to its customers. Newspaper accounts claim that the White House brought the first window dresser to El Paso as well as the first fashion show.
An annex was constructed in approximately 1917 directly behind and connected to the existing building to allow expansion to a complete department store. Through the years this utilitarian structure, of concrete piers infilled with clay blocks, grew to seven stories with a penthouse. Though believed to be designed by Trost, this building is not visible from the street and is not considered a part of the nominated property. A move in 1922 expanded the White House into the first and second floors of the Mills Building (next door) and a connection was constructed between the two. Through the years the ground floor was modernized and today exists with vast areas of display space. However, the upper floors retain the historic lines which indicate the Chicago school style as well as the work of Trost.
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.