We recently mentioned that we had done some research for a local Non-Profit in town to compile a listing of properties designed by El Paso's first female Architect, Mabel Welch. We were able to put together what we would consider a partial list, all of the buildings mentioned in local newspapers from approximately 1927 into the 1950s that we could find. We utilized newspapers.com, the UNT Digital Archives (https://texashistory.unt.edu/) and the Library of Congress (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/).
We considered this merely a partial list, because Welch is believed to have designed over 1,000 El Paso buildings - a statement that cannot be proven, of course, but is probably true.
In the late 1800s into the early 1900s, El Paso was small enough that seemingly every building that went up was mentioned in the local papers. This painted a great historical picture detailing which architects were active, what structures they built, how many they built, etc. However, by around 1930-ish, the city grew enough that the erection of a building was no longer newsworthy, unless it was something substantial like Trost's Hilton, or Percy McGhee's Federal Courthouse. With this in mind, it's easy to conjecture that there were probably hundreds of residences designed by Mabel Welch (dba M.H. Welch) that were not documented in period newspapers that we may never be able to find.
Trost Society members have asked us to publish our new list. Included is the address, the original owner (if available), and the date of completion. We already knew about a few of these:
COMMERCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, RELIGIOUS:
• Welch Building, 1935-1936, 601 Texas St. @ Florence. (Purchased by A.B. Poe in January 1936 for a car dealership)
• Lerner Co. Building, 1942, corner of Mesa and San Antonio downtown
• Peter & Margaret Wetter Center, UTEP, 1941
• Addition to A.B. Poe Dealership at 601 Texas (expansion down Florence), 1937
• Trinity Methodist Church Pastor's Study building, 1943
• St. Joseph's Church, 1937, remodel of an unspecified building on the property, Hueco St. at Travis
RESIDENTIAL DESIGNS:
Federal Blvd.:
• 2710 Federal, glass sleeping porch addition, 1923
• 3021 Federal, 1929
• 3026 Federal, 1951 (probably demolished, there's nothing at that address now)
• 3038 Federal, William Reynolds, 1930
• 3039 Federal, L. Roy Hoard, 1931
• 3100 Federal, 1937
• 3110 Federal, D.B. Vinson, 1928
• 3127 Federal, 1928
Wheeling Street:
• 2905 Wheeling, Mrs. Carmen Guerrochotegul, 1927
• 3015 Wheeling, 1928
• 3017 Wheeling, 1928
• 3021 Wheeling, 1929
• 3025 Wheeling, 1929
• 3108 Wheeling, 1928
• 3131 Wheeling, Mabel Welch personal residence, 1924
• 3143 Wheeling, 1943
• 3147 Wheeling, Another Mabel Welch personal residence, 1943
Silver Ave.:
• 2801 Silver, Gus Momsen residence, 1950
• 2809 Silver, 1950
• 2817 Silver, Carl Waller, 1950
• 2821 Silver, W.B.R. Stromburg, 1950
• 2935 Silver, 1928 (doesn't exist today - may have been demolished)
• 2929 Silver, 1927 (doesn't exist today - may have been demolished)
• 3001 Silver, Sam Watkins, 1931
• 3009 Silver, Dr. George Turner, 1928
• 3012 Silver, J. Mason Pollard, 1928
• 3020 Silver, 1928
Rim Road:
• 711 Rim Road, A.B. Poe, 1939
• 811 Rim Road, J.W. Peak, 1939
• 939 Rim Road, Schuster Mansion, 1952
• Kemp Residence, unspecified address on Rim Road, 1952
Mississippi:
• 805 Mississippi, 1940
• 807 Mississippi, 1940
• 809 Mississippi, 1941
• 815 Mississippi, 1941
Other El Paso Streets:
• 3101 Gold Ave., Sam Guido, Jr., 1952
• 900 Galloway Drive, 1928
• 916 Park Drive, 1929
• 2601 Alabama St, 1929
• 1810 E. Yandell Blvd, Remodel, 1935 (Demolished)
• 2619 Altura, Dr. Harry Leigh, 1931
• 2600 Frankfort, 1955
• 2606 Frankfort, 1955
• 619 Blacker, 1931
• 3004 Lebanon, Eugene E. Thurston, 1922
Documented builds without an address:
• Otis Coles, 1931
• L.E. Saunders, 1931
• Dr. Gladys Gregory (before 1946)
Homes not in El Paso:
• Benito Fernandez, Chihuahua City
• Worth Evans Residence, Fort Davis, TX (Remodel) 1940
• Frank Jones Residence, Marfa, TX, 1937
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| Photograph of Mabel Welch courtesy of the El Paso Historical Society, via the El Paso Museum of History's DIGIE at https://www.digie.org/media/49021 |
