The Adolph Schwartz Mansion, located at 1501 Mesa at the corner of Cliff in El Paso, is one of Trost & Trost's most striking works. Schwartz was the founder of what was arguably El Paso's most influential 20th century department store, the Popular Dry Goods Company: and at the time the iconic Trost & Trost building was being erected downtown, Schwartz commissioned this imposing residence.
Adolph Schwartz and Gustavus Trost shared a close professional relationship, evidenced by their travels together when planning the design of the Popular (El Paso Herald, 1/8/1916, pg. 10). This relationship triggered the commission for this imposing mansion, which is a Gustavus Trost design, and was completed in 1916 (El Paso Herald, Saturday, January 15, 1916). Many historical sources, including the El Paso Museum of History, date the completion of this property to 1912, however period documentation confirms 1916 as the erection year of this $35,000 masterpiece.
According to the EPCAD, the building is currently owned by the 1501 Joint Venture and is in use as an office structure. It is in outstanding condition, and the current (and previous) owners have been careful to maintain G.A. Trost's original design. The building is not listed at the National Register of Historic Places, but clearly should be.
The architectural design is fascinating and attractive: an eclectic mix of Spanish Revival with Mission accents, and Prairie School. Designed for what Henry C. Trost described as Arid America, the building has a hipped roof, very large overhanging eaves, and a the huge enclosed front porch that we expect from the Prairie School. These details were specifically added to cool the home in the hot desert southwest. The roof drives the design towards Spanish with very tastefully applied overhanging Spanish Tiles along with the arched second floor entryway. The Mission flavor is supplied by the interesting colorful tile work on the originally grey masonry around the second story. Another charming feature, which helps identify the designer as Gustavus Trost, is the chimney, which is reminiscent of the chimney on his Flint McGregor home in Manhattan Heights. Finally, the portico is surrounded by Doric styled pillars, instead of the neighborhood's predominant Corinthian or Ionic which would have drawn the eye away from the amazing balance in the rest of the design. This home is just a joy to look at.
This building alone raises the architectural firm of Trost & Trost to the pinnacle - in concert with the hundreds of additional works of art in the southwest, this is the slam.
Text and research provided to the El Paso Sketch Club by Mark Stone, citing the above referenced sources. This historical narrative is from newspaper articles accessed through the Library of Congress' Chronicling America project at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ and the University of North Texas (Denton) Digital Archives at https://texashistory.unt.edu/
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| Image courtesy of the El Paso Museum of History's DIGIE |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 03/20/2021 |
