This is a very interesting looking home, located in the Manhattan Heights Historic District, and designed by one of El Paso's premier residential architects, Otto Thorman. Thorman called this design both Spanish and Light Spanish in different period newspaper articles. It is a red brick 2-story structure with a basement, probably on a concrete foundation. If not for the Spanish tile roof, we would almost call this Georgian. The archway above the front entrance gives this home a decidedly Trost & Trost flavor (see the Krakauer Mansion and the Irvin-Brazos Apartments for reference), however the overall statement is definitely Thorman.
The house was built for William Peterson, the owner of The Cutlery Shop, a specialty knife and novelty store that was located on Mesa Street in the C.N. Buckler Block. The home, located at 2921 Wheeling at the Raynor intersection, was announced in the July 10, 1922 El Paso Herald with an estimated build cost of $25,000. The actual cost ended up at about $15,000, with the Orndorff Construction Company as contractors.
Even though this home has interesting features, like the dome and the offset windows on the front (east) elevation, it is very understated and conservative - which was one of Thorman's fortes. It fits in very well with the many, many beautiful Thorman and Mabel Welch designed properties that grace this area of town.
I was able to take some new images of the house, and found it to be in wonderful condition, ready for the photoshoot. What a fitting representative for this beautiful neighborhood!
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Text, research and modern photography provided to Sketchclub.net by Mark Stone, citing period newspaper articles accessed at newspapers.com, in addition to information accessed at the UNT Digital Archives at https://texashistory.unt.edu/
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| Clipping from the 1921 El Paso City Directory courtesy of the UNT Digital Archives at https://texashistory.unt.edu/ |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 02/01/2021 |
