The 1917 Laskin Building, more popularly known as the Hotel Lenox, is an Early 20th Century Commercial designed structure located on the southwest corner of Mesa and Overland. The building was designed by Trost & Trost and involved nearly 5 years of planning and construction before it was opened.
The building is strikingly beautiful, a three-story (with basement) brick-faced reinforced concrete structure on a concrete foundation. At first glance it seems a little generic, but upon closer inspection we find a pattern of variegated bricks and brick chevrons throughout, with sparsely but tastefully placed decorations underneath the cornice. The plain standing wall above the cornice indicates the intent to add floors in the future, and we did indeed see a newspaper report from February 1923 stating that two extra floors would be added - but they never were.
The building has a subtle, understated beauty that only the very best architect could accomplish. It was rejected for consideration when nominated for the National Register of Historic Places because it lacked the ornate features people had come to expect from Trost designed buildings.
The Laskin Brothers, Louis and Isaac, founded the Globe Dry Goods Company in 1903, located at 306 East Overland in the building currently occupied by the Texas Store. The brothers, operating under the names "Laskin Brothers" and "Globe Dry Goods" concurrently, experienced extraordinary success, and in 1912 began to plan a new building. On December 12, 1912, they purchased the lot at the corner of Broadway (today's Mesa) and Overland for $6,500 from Mr. and Mrs. Otis Andrews.
In July, 1914, Globe announced in a newspaper article that they planned on building a two-story concrete block, with a basement, and it was also announced that Trost & Trost were drawing the plans. Work could not be started on the building until existing leases had run out, and older buildings demolished - which meant 2-1/2 years would pass until actual construction would start.
Finally, on January 13, 1917, with the lessees vacated, the Laskin Brothers announced they would begin construction of the building and that they would be soliciting bids from contractors "within a few days". Construction was expected to start in February, with a total cost of $65,000. The only difference was that instead of the 1914 two-story building, now they were planning a three-story, to make room for a Hotel to occupy the upper floors. It was also announced that the building would be located at Overland and San Jacinto - which was another earlier name for Mesa south of San Antonio.
The building permit was issued close to the end of February, with McGregor and Henger named as as contractors and a cost of $69,031. The firm of McGregor & Henger (frequently misspelled "Hanger" by modern historical enthusiasts) moved to El Paso from Houston early 1917, and the Laskin Building is believed to be their first commission in the Sun City. They are more well known for building the Charles Barglebaugh designed YWCA structure which still stands at Franklin & Kansas Streets.
The building was completed in August, 1917, but with cost overruns the final price tag was almost $100,000. Globe Dry Goods opened on Saturday, October 13 with a huge Grand Opening celebration attended by 5,000 people. The Manager was Ben Romm, and the store initially occupied the first floor and the basement.
Plans were originally to have the store occupy the entire building, however the Laskin Brothers realized they needed to increase sales before that would become practical. The upper floors were, therefore, utilized as a Hotel as a temporary measure until sales increased - and thus was born the Hotel Lenox. The Lenox, managed by Mrs. Edna Strickland, opened for business on Saturday, October 20, advertising rooms for $4 per week and up.
On Feb. 8, 1923, Globe, with huge sales during their opening years, announced that they would be adding an additional 2 floors to the building at a cost of $50,000. However, over the next decade, unable to compete with the Popular Dry Goods, White House, and Calishers/Everybody's juggernauts, sales plummeted, the plans were scrapped, and Globe fell into a tailspin.
In late 1932, the State National Bank foreclosed on the building and other assets of the company after the Laskin Brothers were unable to make payments on notes, owing over $43,000. The retail area of the building became vacant, until the Superior Dry Goods Co., owned by Herbert and Leo Rosenberg, opened in December 1937 at the location.
The Lenox Hotel continued to operate until at least 1962, when newspaper ads for the (then) Rooming House ceased to appear in newspapers.
In 1945, after Superior Dry Goods vacated, the building was purchased by a branch of the Blaugrund family, and the retail areas of the building became home to the Columbia Furniture Company. Columbia was owned and managed by Leonard W. Blaugrund, and had been located on the southwestern corner of Overland and Stanton as part of American Furniture - which was also owned by a different branch of the Blaugrunds.
Columbia Furniture operated at the address until about 1992, when they leased the retail area to Sky Fashion. Columbia, under the name Columbia Realty Company, continued to own the building until the 2007 passing of owner Leonard Blaugrund. It then fell into the hands of Dr. Wayne Katz and his wife Elizabeth. Dr. Katz was the nephew of Blaugrund. The building is now owned by the Gatoz Group LLC, an Austin, TX based company where Dr. & Mrs. Katz are officers.
When Leonard Blaugrund passed away at the beginning of December 2007, the Company performed an exterior renovation of the building, restoring and cleaning up the Trost design and installing signs in honor of much of its history as the Columbia Furniture Company and Hotel Lenox.
***************
Text, research and modern photography provided to sketchclub.net by Mark Stone, citing period newspaper articles and advertising accessed at newspapers.com; El Paso City Directories accessed at the UNT Digital Archives at https://texashistory.unt.edu/; the El Paso Central Appraisal District, https://www.epcad.org/Search
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| 1917 photograph courtesy of the El Paso Public Library's Otis Aultman Collection, marked Ponsford 550, via the UNT Digital Archives at https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth875303/m1/ |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone February 2021 |
