First Mortage Company Building
Also known as: First National Building
Why it's listed
Rising fifteen stories at 109 N. Oregon Street, this downtown El Paso office building was constructed between May 1920 and March 1921 for the First National Bank and the First Mortgage Company. Barglebaugh & Whitson, a Dallas architectural firm, designed it, and El Paso contractor J. C. Buchanan built it. Its reinforced concrete frame is clad in buff brick with tan terra-cotta trim and organized as a base, shaft and capital. Its lower ornament was matched to the adjoining 1905 bank building, to which it was connected by corridors. At the time it was the second skyscraper in El Paso and the tallest for many years. It held 215 offices, bank vaults, and four high-speed elevators. A late-1950s remodeling added air conditioning and aluminum panels over the first two floors, but the basic design and ornament remain unmodified. It is recognized as the earliest building of its type in El Paso that has not been drastically altered, and it remains in office use.
Significance in brief: The building reflects El Paso's rapid economic growth in the early twentieth century and was the second skyscraper in the city and the tallest for many years. It was built for the First National Bank and the First Mortgage Company. It is the earliest building of its type in El Paso that has not been drastically altered.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78002925, listed June 13, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 109 N. Oregon St., El Paso |
|---|---|
| County | El Paso County |
| Listed | June 13, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002925 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1920-1921 |
| Architect / builder | Barglebaugh & Whitson, Architects, Dallas, Texas; built by J. C. Buchanan, El Paso contractor |
| Architectural style | Commercial style skyscraper |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In use as an office building; the first two floors were covered with aluminum panels in the late 1950s and restoration of the principal facades and ground floors was planned. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.75828, -106.48859 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78002925.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q64214436
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.