Toltec Club in 1910s

When the building was completed in 1910, the Toltec Club was considered the finest social gathering place in El Paso. From 1911 through 1930, the vast majority of political and business decisions affecting El Paso were made there, and every prominent guest to the area was entertained in El Paso’s Toltec Club. Its purpose was underlined by the name; "Toltec" meaning "man of knowledge". The Club also played a prominent role in the Mexican Revolution. Peace negotiation were carried out there and the victory banquet for Francisco I. Madero after the Battle of Juarez also took place in the building. Other guests were also honored there, amongst them former President Theodore Roosevelt and John J. Pershing. However, America’s economic collapse during the Great Depression caused the members of the Toltec Club to close its doors in 1930. The historically significant Renaissance/ Beaux Arts architectural style, engineered by J. J. Huddart, and the vastly significant social and political functions that took place inside its doors allowed it to be recorded in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. After the Club disbanded, the Toltec Building became the home of several businesses.

Area: Central / Magoffin

Collection: Aultman Collection

Source: El Paso Public Library

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History