It's unclear when Charles Merrick started his men's clothing store "Merrick Men's Wear Mart", however it was in existence and successful when he decided, in 1886, to build his own structure. In advertisements placed in the January 1887 El Paso Times he stated that he would remain in the Bronson Building until his new facility was completed on April 1, 1887. He hired architects John J. Stewart and William J. Carpenter to design a structure to be built by contractors Richard Caples and Lewis Hammer. The contract (dated 1/8/1887) stated that the first story was to be completed April 1, with the upper floors completed by June 1 of the same year (Book 32, pg 417 of El Paso County Deed Records). The cost to build the structure was $13,575.
The Merrick Building was completed in a Queen Anne and Romanesque design during a building boom following the arrival of the first railroads in El Paso. It is a three story structure at the corner of Overland and El Paso, with a basement. (Newspaper ads for the St. George Hotel mistakenly describe it at the corner of San Francisco and El Paso). The bottom floor was designed as a retail space, one single room with an 18 foot ceiling. The two upper floors had 10 rooms each with 2 bathrooms up against the west end (rear) of the building, initially designed as a hotel. The St. Charles Hotel probably opened right away, but the earliest ad we have been able to find for it is in the June 6, 1888 El Paso Times, a solid year after the building's completion. The hotel was managed by Mrs. F. H. Moore. There was apparently office space in the structure, however we're unclear which floor it was on; after completion, the architects officed out of the building for an unspecified period of time (HABS no. TX-3309).
In 1894, a fire gutted the interior of the top floor, doing some damage to the second floor and the roof. In rebuilding, the ceiling of the first floor retail level was lowered to 11 feet from its previous 18. (El Paso Herald 5/11/1894)
Merrick's clothing store did not last long, and was closed shortly after opening. He sold 1/2 interest in the building to Charles H. Deere before the end of 1887. By 1901 he had sold his remaining half interest to Joseph Magoffin. Magoffin purchased Mr. Deere's interest in the building later the same year. The building remained in the Magoffin family until it was sold in 1967 by Josephine Magoffin Glasgow to George Haddad, Seamone Haddad, and Anis Balesh for $60,000.
According to an interview with Anis Balesh, two cinderblock structures were built at the rear of the building sometime during the 1930s or 1940s where a Cabaret and Dance Club/Bar was constructed. The entrance was in the rear of the building. The addition is still there, in use as a storage area.
Although a number of businesses have operated out of the first floor retail area, probably the best known to older El Pasoans was the Hollywood Cafe, opened in 1931. The Cabaret mentioned in the above paragraph may have been an expansion of this business. The Hollywood was open until at least 1980 at that location. Several social media/forum posts from various sources talk about "65 years" of wonderful food, which would mean the restaurant was open until at least 1996, but we are unable to verify that date.
More recent history of the Merrick Building is difficult to come by. Currently, the structure still stands and is used as an apartment building. The bottom floor retail area has been subdivided into 2 bays. The right side space (North) is occupied by Garbo, a clothing boutique, and the remaining space is unoccupied (as of June 24, 2019).
The building is in very good condition for its age, and is quite stunning. When we have out-of-town visitors, the Merrick is one of "the" buildings in downtown to show off. The exterior of the upper two floors looks freshly painted and is in A+ condition. The awning and trim on the bottom floor retail area is sorely in need of paint.
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 6/21/2019 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 6/21/2019 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 6/21/2019 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 6/21/2019 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 6/21/2019 |
 |
| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 6/21/2019 |
