Mark’s Offline: Will Rogers Building

An enchanting little office building sits at the corner of Trowbridge and Boone in Central El Paso. Designed by Gustavus Trost and erected in 1929, it was originally built as Dr. Will Rogers' medical offices and storage facility. There's some difficulty inherent in searching for a "Will Rogers" on the internet when such a popular public figure used the name, however we do know that at least for a while he was associated as a doctor for the school district. According to the Lincoln Park Facebook Page, in 1918 he closed Lincoln Park School to have the building cleaned and fumigated after the death of a student. This was during the Spanish Flu pandemic.

The building is a gorgeous single-story structure, designed in an eclectic Spanish / Mission architectural style. The walls are brick with stucco, very similar to the Firestone and Singer Sewing buildings, two other Gustavus projects. The Spanish-tiled roof bears the same subtle tower as these two other buildings, also.

Contractor for this $10,000 project was the Anderson Brothers. The building is currently in great shape, although there is some weed growth evident. During World War 2, it housed the Community Grocery, and in the 1950s and 60s the Wagner Butter Company occupied the location.

The building is currently owned or leased by the El Paso Federation of Teachers & Support Personnel, who have occupied the property for over a decade.

Text and Research provided to Sketchclub.net by Mark Stone

Will Rogers Building

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