| Marker Text |
These three Victorian commercial structures were built during the local economic boom of the 1880s. Among the earliest permanent buildings in San Angelo, they represent the early development of the city as the leading commercial center of the area. In 1884 the San Angelo National Bank purchased an existing building in the middle of the block. A new facade was added, under the supervision of contractor J. C. Lillis, which features sandstone from two local quarries and an ornate cornice and pediment. After the bank moved to a new site in 1902, the building housed a variety of businesses. In 1885 Louis Schwartz and Joseph Raas, owners of a grocery in this block, built a commercial structure adjacent to the bank building. Designed by the noted San Angelo architect Oscar Ruffini, it features a facade of stone, cast iron, and sheet iron. The building was first rented to the firm of Johnson & Taylor, Fancy Grocers, competitors of Schwartz & Raas. The third structure here, built in 1886, replaced the earlier Schwartz and Raas grocery and dry goods store. In 1888 the business was expanded to include their adjacent building. Later the site of the Roxy Theatre, the 1886 structure was damaged by fire in 1973. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981 |
