All About the American Furniture Company Building

 

American Furniture Building

AKA: First National Bank, Chemical Bank & Trust Company

Location: 109-117 East San Antonio at Oregon, El Paso, TX

Address 105 N Oregon Street (https://goo.gl/maps/MAoWMXJDyS994HyQ9)

Materials: reinforced concrete, yellow press bricks and yellow terra cotta. Seven stories

The building was designed by Henry C. Trost of Trost & Trost in August 1909. The building’s exterior was finished by December of 1910. The First National Bank Building was combined with the American National Bank building in 1913. Trost & Trost remodeled the building in 1925 and in 1943.  

The American Furniture Company purchased the building in 1944. The building was upgraded to a more modern style that covers part of the original design in August of 1949. The interior was also renovated during this time. The building was acquired by William “Billy” Abraham who planned to keep retail shops open on the ground floor, but redesign the upper stories for live-work artist spaces.

In 2010, the El Paso Building and Standards Commission issued civil penalties against the Caples Land Company, owned by Abraham, in order to address issues with the building and bring it up to code. Abraham appealed the civil penalty. The 2010 ruling was upheld in 2016. As of 2018, there is interest in turning the building into a hotel based on the Wyndham chain.

Original Trost & Trost architectural drawings are available at the Border Heritage Center.

Works Cited

“105 N Oregon.” (2010). Building and Standards Board. Retrieved from http://legacy.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/_documents/DSD_archived_meeting_attachments/bsc0224101730/105%20Oregon%20Backup%20for%20WEB.pdf

“City: ‘Final Judgment’ Against Owner of American Furniture Building Underway.” (November 2, 2017) El Paso Herald Post. Retrieved from https://elpasoheraldpost.com/final-judgement-american-furniture-building

“Downtown El Paso Historic District.” (n.d.) United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved from https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/national_register/draft_nominations/El-Paso%2C%20Downtown%20EP%20HD%20SBR%20Draft.pdf

Englebrecht, Lloyd C. and June F. Engelbrecht. (1990) “First National Bank.” Henry C. Trost Historical Organization. Retrieved from https://www.henrytrost.org/buildings/first-national-bank-el-paso

Marin, Daniel. (May 21, 2018). “Hotel Proposed for Old American Furniture Building Downtown.” KTSM.com. Retrieved from https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/hotel-proposed-for-old-american-furniture-building-downtown

Mrkvicka, Mike. (March 25, 2001)  “Starting With the Plaza.” El Paso Times. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77087293 and https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77087425

“New American Furniture Co. Opening to Culminate Years of Planning.” (August 31, 1949) El Paso Times. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77086605