Downtown

Downtown

The image shows Mesa Street at San Jacinto Plaza. The building in the middle is the Roberts-Banner building. It was built in 1910 by Henry C. Trost and is one of the first reinforced concrete structures in El Paso. In 1908, the ground had been purchased by two prominent New Mexican cattlemen, Martin D. Roberts and William M. Banner, who began investing in Downtown El Paso in the early 20th century. To the left, parts of the old Orndorff Hotel can be seen, which is on the present site of the Cortez building. The Hotel was originally the Vendome Hotel but was acquired by Mrs. Alzina DeGroff in 1899, who renamed it Orndorff Hotel. She operated it for more than twenty-five years until 1924 when she borrowed 825,000 dollars and hired the renowned El Paso architectural firm Trost and Trost to design a new hotel. Unfortunately, Mrs. DeGroff did not live to see the completion of the building, which is now the Cortez building. The red building to the right of the image probably shows Hotel Sheldon, unofficial headquarters for Mexican Revolution partisans. It opened in 1900 but burned down in 1929. One year later the Hilton Hotel, designed by Trost too, opened on the site. It became the Plaza Hotel in 1963, which closed its doors in 1991.

Area: Central / Downtown

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Babe and i

Love u - photograph of couple downtown El Paso, Texas.

William Lee Petroff - 1965 - El Paso, Texas

Bill Petroff - police officer who retired in 1977 - rank was ...

"Walk to the Past"

The Consulate General of Mexico and Centro Cultural Mexicano ...

Lulac Sweetheart Charity Ball - 1971

Adela (Lily) Lerma - Mercado contestant for Lulac Sweetheart ...

Pedro Lerma Sr. - 2000

Pedro Lerma Sr. during a wedding at the hotel El Camino Hotel.

Wedding - El Camino Real Hotel - 2000 - El Paso, Texas

Wedding at the El Camino Real Hotel - left to right - Pedro ...

"Infinite" by Alejandro Briseño

The Consulate General of Mexico and Centro Cultural Mexicano ...

"Classic" by Alejandro Briseño - El Paso, Texas

The Consulate General of Mexico and Centro Cultural Mexicano ...

Edward J. McVay and worker - Paving the Roads of El Paso, Texas

Edward J. McVay spent his life working in many different ...

Edward J. McVay Paving the Roads of El Paso, Texas

Edward J. McVay spent his life working in many different ...

Edward J. McVay Paving the Roads of El Paso, Texas

Edward J. McVay spent his life working in many different ...

Neon paint party 2k15

Neon paint party in downtown El Paso, Texas.

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 - El Paso, Texas

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 Photograph during the San ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 Photograph during the San ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Photograph during the San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 Ashley ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Photograph during the San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 Ashley ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Photograph during the San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 Ashley ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

The mascot for the El Paso Public Library - celebrating opening ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Mascot for the El Paso Public Library -- celebrating the opening ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016 - El Paso, Texas

Photograph of the statue in the center of the plaza.

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Photograph of the statue in the center of the plaza.

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Members of the El Paso Fire Department at the opening for San ...

San Jacinto Plaza Opening - 2016

Members of the El Paso Fire Department at the opening for San ...

home.search_collection