Located at 1021 Magoffin in the Magoffin Historic District, the Delevan Court apartment complex is definitely in ragged condition, needing at least exterior renovation. Nevertheless, it is a very unique design by S.E Patton, an El Paso architect that drew a number of especially creative and sometimes unusual architectural designs.
The Delevan Court, which cost $60,000 to build (about $10,000 more than its original budget), was completed during the last week of May, 1917, by sisters Mrs. Ella Howe and Miss Maud Doane. The property, which boasted over 100 apartments at opening, was named for their father Delevan E. Doane. Even before the actual completion date, there was a waiting list; and many of the finished units were already occupied. At the time, this was considered one of the most luxurious and sought-after apartment houses in the city.
The 3-story building provided 7 different stairways instead of one or two centrally located stairwells to increase privacy. Each apartment featured a fireproof balcony. Managed by the James L. Marr Real Estate firm, each apartment boasted art glass buffets and French doors, along with beautiful birch floors, with woodwork elegantly finished throughout. The basement had individual storage rooms for each apartment, and individual reserved parking was included in the rent.
There were apartments available with either 2, 3 or 4 rooms.
Today, the Delevan is a shadow of its former self; although Patton's original design still makes the building a head-turner. In need of serious repairs, nevertheless this arched masterpiece was at one time the place to live in El Paso.
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Text, modern photography and research provided to sketchclub.net by Mark Stone. This historical narrative is derived from newspaper articles and City Directory entries 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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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Architect's drawing of the Delevan El Paso Herald, 10/14/1916 via newspapers.com |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
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| Photo taken by Mark Stone 08/20/2020 |
