Dear Friends and Media,
I am pleased to report that the Samaniego Building, designed by Trost & Trost and completed in 1907 at a cost of $20,000, has been rehabilitated by its owners, Phillip and Jennifer Countryman. The building was commissioned by Dr. Jose A. Samaniego, who had emigrated from Mexico six years earlier, and originally housed a drugstore at ground level and the Hotel Katheryne in the upper stories. It is located at 108 S. Stanton St., next door to the Gateway Hotel.
Trost & Trost designed 39 buildings in downtown El Paso, of which 27 survive. Of these, the Samaniego building is the oldest and the only one consisting of load-bearing brick walls, since the technology of reinforced concrete was still unavailable to the architectural firm.
The three-story structure rests on a concrete slab foundation and includes more than 10,000 square feet of usable space. The brick facade is in the Renaissance Revival style, with tall pilasters and a classical architrave and cornice. Many of the original features have been preserved, including the entire exterior and the oak floors of the third floor.
Those interested in leasing the property should contact Jack Duncan of RJL Real Estate Consultants, 915-478-1233 (cell).
We thank Phillip and Jennifer for restoring this Trost masterpiece with so much love and congratulate them on a job well done!
Max
Max Grossman, PhD
Board of Directors, Preservation Texas
Vice-Chair, The Trost Society
Director of Operations, El Paso History Alliance, more than 60,000 strong!
