J. J. Newberry Company
El Paso, Texas

Description: J. J. Newberry Company
Other Names: Calisher’s, when built, 1911; Everybody’s Department Store, ca. 1915-1916; Reynolds, 1929; American Furniture, 1935
Address: 201-205 North Stanton Street, N. W. corner of North Stanton Street and Texas Avenue, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Type: commercial: retail store
Original Client: The J. Calisher Realty Co.
Historic Inventory: National Register number 80004108
Date: 1911
Condition: extant, in use as variety store

Architect or Firm: Henry C. Trost
Associated Architect or Firm: Trost & Trost
Contractors:
Dimensions and Orientation: 5 stories; 86 feet, 6 inches on Stanton Street x 90 feet on Texas Avenue; basement and sub basement to house mechanical systems
Architectural Style: Chicago School
Budget/Cost: $250,000; lot cost $125,ooo

Foundation: concrete
Wall Materials: concrete with brick rear wall
Roofing Materials: flat
Other Materials Used: terra cotta facing and ornament
Remodeling and Additions: remodeled in 1926 (comm. 2653), and at other times; a proposed addition to the upper part for an Elks Lodge not built. Corner now faced with red marble.

Present Owner: The McCrory Corporation
Location of Drawings: El Paso Public Library: (C-1) 34 ink-on-linen sheets, side, front, and rear elevations, sections and details of ornament, dated January 3, 1911 and February 1, 1911; (C-2) 5 ink on linen sheets for remodeling of second story, and alterations, dated March, 1926, commission number 2653; 4 ink on linen sheets, uncertain date; and photograph of sketch, Ponsford 118, for proposed B. P. O. E. addition
Location of Documentary Photographs: El Paso Public Library: Ponsford 118, perspective view with added sketch of proposed Elks addition; El Paso 1910-1920 file, Aultman: A5486, A5495; El Paso 1920-1930 file, Aultman: A5402, perspective view, A5711, A5135, A5963; El Paso Business file, 171, 186; El Paso Commerical file: photograph under heading of Everybody’s Department Store; [El Paso Times office ?]: Times Blumenthal Collection: photograph of exterior, 1915

Bibliography: El Paso Times, November 7, 1982 (photograph under heading Old El Paso” shows the building in 1915 when “Everybody’s Department store was in the ground level”; credited to “Times Blumenthal Collection”)

Remarks: The building is a good example of the Chicago School.  The store has incorporated the Lanier Building (also known as the Rogers Furniture Building) to the north, 207-211 North Stanton, a building of 1916, designed by Braunton & Leibert of Dallas.

Jacob Calisher opened his store in 1881. A fire in 1899 forced Calisher to move to a location on El Paso Street. Over the years the store became very successful, incorporated and moved in to the Buckler Block.

In order to finance the construction of the new, modern facility, the J. Calisher Company doubled its stock and organized the J. Calisher Realty Company. He purchased the future property for his store  at the northwest corner of Mesa and Stanton. Calisher traveled to various region within the U.S to look at department store structures. Trost accompanied Calisher on few of his travels.

After the Buckler fire, Calisher moved his store and inventory  to building on Stanton Street. A little over a year after the fire, Calisher moved into the new building on Stanton.

The building housed the Border National Bank for a time and the YMCA used the top two floors from the building’s completion date in 1911. In 1915, Calisher Department doors were shut for business.

Prepared for the El Paso Public Library by Lloyd C. and June F. Engelbrecht under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1990