Charles Holland Leavell Sr. (1875-1936) arrived in El Paso in 1902, a wealthy rancher. By 1908 he went into business in the field of Real Estate and built an empire, and through his business establishing the Manhattan Heights area - still a showcase of beautiful mansions and homes designed largely by Otto Thorman and Mabel Welch. This home, designed by Thorman, was completed by April 21, 1914, and was one of the first residences in this upscale area. It preceded many of its neighboring homes by two decades. Leavell also commissioned a three-story business block at the corner of San Antonio and Campbell in our downtown area, a Trost & Trost structure, which was demolished in the 1930s.
Currently the home, located at 3037 Federal, is in outstanding condition, well maintained and ready for the party; a joy to photograph, and a testament to the brilliance of Otto Thorman.
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Text 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/, and period Sanborn Maps available at the University of Texas Libraries at http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/sanborn/e.html
All images taken by Mark Stone 6/29/2019.
