C.E. Barglebaugh designed a scant few major El Paso buildings that we are aware of, however worked in our city during a period dominated by Trost & Trost in the local press. We know he built the First National Bank Tower, known today as "1 Texas Tower" downtown. Historically, it is more popularly known as the First Mortgage Tower. He also drew the plans for the extant downtown YWCA building.
A well respected Architect who came out of the Chicago Architectural Sketch Club, Barglebaugh spent most of his career in the Dallas area, where he designed some staggeringly beautiful structures. Although El Paso was rich with architectural genius at the time, very few bore the stature of a Barglebaugh and it was a wonderful decision to give him this commission.
One of the greatest architectural disasters of the early 1900s was the destruction, by fire, of the original Trost & Trost designed El Paso Country Club in 1916. In June, 1921, it was announced that the building's replacement would be built by El Paso's foremost contractor R.E. McKee, and would be designed by Barglebaugh. Associate architect would be Percy McGhee, another local architect of excellent reputation and the city's Building Inspector at the time. Construction cost was a cool $78,000.
The extant building is a Spanish/Mission blend, brick on a concrete foundation. It was a very mild rendition of Trost's Mission Revival original (which, like the Williams residence, was Mission on Steroids), but equally as beautiful. Barglebaugh's Country Club building stands today, albeit with remodels/restorations/additions. The uniquely designed pair of parapets, copied in additions and remodels (see http://www.cgnd.com for the CGN designs rendition) is a trademark of the Club. A wonderful, historical building which remains a monument to one of El Paso's great architects.
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Text and research provided to Sketchclub.net by Mark Stone, citing period newspaper articles accessed at newspapers.com
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| Postcard for sale at Amazon |
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| Otherwise uncredited photograph courtesy of the Trost Society website |
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| Google Earth Street View accessed January 2021 |
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| This photograph is a newer building where we noted the trademark Barglebaugh parapet present. Photograph courtesy of the CGN Architectural website at http://www.cgnd.com/photography |
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| Google Earth Street View accessed January 2021 |
