{"nrhp_refnum":"79002935","name":"Women's Club","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1400 N. Mesa St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"El Paso","county":"El Paso County","state":"TX","lat":31.767317310000067,"lon":-106.49492439599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-07-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story blue-purple brick clubhouse at 1400 North Mesa Street, at the corner of North Mesa and River Streets in El Paso, Texas, designed in 1916 by Otto H. Thorman and built by Ponsford Brothers for the Women's Club of El Paso.","why_significant":"The clubhouse is presented as a fine example of Georgian style with Beaux Arts influence, reflecting El Paso's growth and prosperity at the turn of the century. It also symbolizes a club active since 1895 that contributed to the community, especially in art, music and the first kindergarten.","narrative":"Built in 1916 at the corner of North Mesa and River Streets in El Paso, this two-story clubhouse was designed by architect Otto H. Thorman and built by Ponsford Brothers for the Women's Club of El Paso. Its blue-purple brick walls, laid in Flemish bond with white trim, rise from a cut stone foundation. The symmetrical west facade combines Georgian and Beaux Arts references, including a triple-arched entrance porch, white composite columns, garland swags, quoins and a heavy cornice. A sun room was added in 1920 and later became part of the kitchen, and the stage was enlarged in 1930. The club, organized in 1895, met in homes for its first two decades before building here on land from a charter member's bequest. It became known as the Mother of Art in El Paso, brought the city its first art show, and helped establish its first kindergarten. The building reflects the prosperity of El Paso around the turn of the century.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Otto Thorman (architect); Ponsford Brothers (builder)","architectural_style":"Georgian with Beaux Arts influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a private social club; interior refurbished in the early 1970s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.747284-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/51/9718/40971851/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002935.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002935/f9d8efa75b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002935/f9d8efa75b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rogelio Rivero Cagigas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_paso_Womens_Club_08.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Rogelio Rivero Cagigas</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_paso_Womens_Club_08.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971851","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman%27s_Club_of_El_Paso","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23013954"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/el-paso-county/womens-club-79002935/"}