Douglas Drug Store, 1201 East Elizabeth Street, Brownsville

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,31-BROWN,6-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Douglas Drug Store, built ca. is typical of many nineteenth-century commercial structures still standing in downtown Brownsville. Its box-like form is decorated with simple brick dentils on a straight parapet which extends slightly above the roof line. Numerous commercial estab- lishments have been located here, including William Douglas' "New Drug Store," and J. L. Putegnat's Botica del Leon. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: Cameron County Deed Records suggest that the building was erected between and In its lot had been acquired for and the next year this same lot and "the buildings and improvements thereon standing" were mortgaged for the sum of 2. Architect: Unknown. 3.

Original and subsequent owners: The Douglas Drug Store is located on the northwestern half of Lot 8, Block 63 of the Original Town- site of Brownsville. The title to the property on which the Doug- las Drug Store is located is complicated because two separate build- ings were located on the northwestern and southeastern halves of the lot, and because one of the earliest references to the title dates back to the period when the title to land in the. Original Townsite was under dispute. The following references to the title of this lot can be found in the Cameron County Clerk's Office, Brownsville. Warranty Deed dated January 17, recorded in Volume B, pages 10 and 11. George Work sold his rights to Lots 8 and 9 to Jeremiah W.

Powers including "brick house bar fixtures, furniture out houses appurtenances & c" on Lot 8 for Warranty Deed recorded October 18, in Vol. E, pp. E. Basse and R. H. Hord sold Lot 8 to Bias Martinez for (The price of an unimproved lot in the Original Town- site of Brownsville was at the turn of the century.) DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 2) Mortgage recorded October 8, in Volume E, pages Bias Martinez mortgaged the northeast corner # of and Elisabeth Streets (site of Douglas Drug Store) "being 23 feet in front on Elizabeth Street" and "embrac- ing the buildings and improvements thereon standing," to Margaret Maxan for The mortgage was released on October 6, recorded in Volume E, page (Local historian A. A.

Champion stated that Bias Martinez was married to Margaret Maxan's daughter, Lodoviski.) Warranty Deed recorded October 6, in Volume F, pages Bias and Lodoviski Martinez sold Lot 8 to William Douglas for After the title to the property becomes complicated due to the number of heirs. Various members of the Douglas family retained an interest in the property and the Garibay family was associated with the property from to It was eventually sold for taxes to Kenneth Faxon (Volume page Warranty Deed dated February 20, recorded Volume pages 406 and following. Harry L. Scott acquired Lot 8 from Kenneth & Bernadine Faxon for According to Peter Heinz, Scott was responsible for clearing the title to the property.

Warranty Deed with Vendor's Lend recorded April 17, in Volume pages 589 and following Harry and Ethel * Scott sold the northwest 23 feet of Lot 8 to Mr. and Mrs A. A. Hargrove. The Scotts immediately transferred their Vendor's Lend to Peter and Helen Heinz. On July 29, Peter Heinz, acquired full possession of the northwest 23 feet of Lot 8. 4. Builder, contractor, suppliers: None known. 5. Original plan and construction: The Sanb.crn Map of Browns- ville shows a one-story brick structure extending northeast from Elizabeth Street along Street to the alley at the rear of the property. A wooden covered walkway extends approximately eight feet out "over the front'facade. 'The building is divided into four segments running back northeast from Elizabeth Street along Street.

The first segment northeast of Elizabeth Street is the only section having a wooden cornice as well as a firewall extend- ing 18" above the roof along the side facade. This section was separated from the next by a brick partition with an opening in the center. This next section has a metal cornice and 12" fire- wall along the side facade. The first two sections both have a slate or tile roof. The last two sections are difficult to read on the copy of the map but they appear to be one-story structures 11 feet high along the street and alley with a courtyard between them and the two-story building on the southeast portion of Lot .8* DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 3) 6. Additions, alterations: The Sanborn Map of Brownsville shows the structure virtu- ally unchanged.

The two sections of the building closest to the alley appear identical to those on the map. On the Sanborn Map, the partition between the two sections of the building closest to Elizabeth Street has been removed and the covered walkway now extends over the walk on Street as well as Elizabeth Street, stopping about one-third of the way back from Elizabeth Street on Street. The last two sections of the building appear only slightly altered From this map it seems clear that an L-shaped section divided into two parts extended around Street and the alley and that a courtyard existed to the south of this section between it and the adjoining building on the same lot. Elements which appeared to be structures within the courtyard on previous maps are gone.

The only alteration noted on the Map is the extension of the covered walkway along street to two-thirds the length of the store. In the store had doors along Street. These openings have subsequently been closed up. The wooden overhangs which created covered walkways around the store are also gone. Mr. Peter Heinz, stated that the interior courtyard was cemen- ted over at this time and the interior part of the rear of the store' constructed in its present condition. According to Heinz there were display windows on the northwest wall of the building along Street which were closed about Plate-glass win- dows have been installed at the location of the original open- ings in the southwest facade along Elizabeth Street. B.

Historical Events and Persons Connected with the Structure: William Douglas, the original owner of the store, was born in Ireland about .He came to the Brownsville area with the third Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the Mexican War of He was first married to Caroline Chamberlain from Connecticut who died October 28, They had two children, Henry and William J. Douglas. His second wife was Margaret Koch who was born in the Rhine River region of Germany. They had six children: Walter, Arthur, Mary, Charles, Agnes, and Philip. Douglas was a member of the Presbyterian Church and in was elected alderman for Brownsville's First Ward. Like many other Brownsville citizens he moved to Matamoros, across the river from Brownsville in Mexico, during the Civil War.

In he was an agent for the Alamo River Steamboat Company. In he was still living in Matamoros but by July he had built a house on the northwest cor- ner of 7th and East Elizabeth Street in Brownsville. Douglass died on September 15, at the age of seventy. 9 DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 4) Local historian A. A.

Champion pointed out two announcements or advertisements for the Douglas Drug Store at its opening which appeared in the June 26, issue of the Rio Grande Sentinel, a bilingual newspaper published in the and early NUEVA BOTIGA NEW DRUG STORE* Los infrascritos tienen The undersigned take great gran Placer de anunciara pleasure in announcing to sus amigos y al publico their friends and the public/ que nan abierto una NUEVA that they have opened a new BOTICA para vender por Drug Store, Wholesale and mayor y menor, en la Retail/ on the corner of esquina la Calle Elizabeth Elizabeth and streets, en frente^a la Ranca, en at the old and wellknown al nvuy conocido punto que stand of R, J. Lawler & Co. coupaba el Sr. R. J. Lawlor Our stock is large and y compafiia.

Nuestro sur- selected with great care tidos es grande y escojido in New York, Philadelphia, con mucho cuidado en Nueva and New Orleans, and can be York, Fiiadelfia y Nueva depended on fresh and gen- Orleans y pueden contar uine and will be disposed of # en que son genuinas y fres- on reasonable terms. Quick cas. Se espenderan a precios sales, reasonable prices and muy moderados ventas prontas, Fresh Medicines, is our motto y ganancias rasonables, y Physicians', Druggists and medicinas frescas, esta es Merchants' orders and pre- nuestra Mote. Medicos, Drog- scriptions respectfully uistas y Comerciantes, sus solicited, and will be orgenes prescripciones estan carefully prepared and respectuosamente solicitadas put ur>. que seran cuidadosamente prep- aradas y colocadas. W. DOUGLAS :A. W.

DOUGLAS & Co. Brownsville, Febrero 20 de Brownsville, Texas Feb. 20, Mr. Champion stated that Douglas opened the drugstore because Joseph Klieber, associated with a rival political party, had bought the Webb Drugstore which had been the only pharmacy in Brownsville since This explains why Douglas called his shop the "New Drug Store." * Translation aided by Heriberto Brito. t DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 5) In the latter part of the nineteenth century the Botica del Leon or Drugstore of the Lion was operated in this building by Joseph L. Putegnat, whose father had once clerked for Douglas. The business stayed at the corner of Elizabeth and streets until when it moved to the Brown Block on the west side of Elizabeth Street between and streets.

In addition to operating a drug store, Puteg- nat was State Oil Inspector in He also spent two years deal- ing in horses in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, from to dur- ing which time the Botica del Leon was closed. He was the foreman of the Protection Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1, a volunteer fire department organized in and having thirty members in He was also a Sergeant in the Brownsville Rifles, a company attached to the First Regiment of the Volunteer Guard of Texas. (.Chatfield, pages 25, and W. H. Chatfield stated that the doors of Botica del Leon always had "the 'latch string on the outside' for the accommodation of (the) . . .

community." Although the information about the store in Chat- field's Twin Cities of the Border was written about the new location in the Brown Building, it does furnish an idea about the Store's operation. According to Chatfield, "beside the full line of pure drugs, chemicals, patent medicines, surgical instruments, etc., and the abundant stock of toilet articles, paints, oils, and brushes, there is a fine display of stationery, leather goods, statuary and bric-a-brac . . . ." An advertisement placed by Putegnat in Twin Cities . . . states, "Prescriptions carefully compounded, by the proprietor in person at any hour of the day or night." (Chatfield, pages 22 and In addition to the druggist Putegnat, a number of other tenants occupied the store. H.

Lazare leased lot 8 from William Douglas for three years in March (Cameron County Deed Records, Vol. 1, pages A photograph taken by Robert Runyon between the years and shows the building identified as El Nuevo Mundo, the New World, and its sign announced "verdadera barata, sombreros de Lelas en General." Additionally, for many years during the early twentieth century the store was the Garibay Clothing Store. An oak cabinet from that store is used for storage by the present establish- ment, Hargrove's Office Supply Store, which has been here since According to the Texas Medallion on the side of the building face, the first federal court in Brownsville was held in the back room by Jodge John Watrous. Mr. A, A.

Champion has stated that this is con- troversial and that he has yet to find documentary proof to support this traditional assumption. C. Sources of Information: 1. Old views: A photograph in Twin Cities of the Border, page 4, captioned "Twelfth Street, corner of Elizabeth" shows a corner view of the store as it appeared before (An awning here DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 6) identifies the. building as Botica del Leon which, moved to a different location at that date.) The openings along Street as well as the overhang creating a covered walkway along Elizabeth Street can be seen in this photograph. Both have been subsequently removed. An undated photograph of the building taken by Robert Runyon appears in the Brownsville Bicentennial Calendar for the month of June.

This calendar was published by the Brownsville Historical Association and is available for purchase at the Stillman House Museum, East Washington Street, Brownsville.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,31-BROWN,6-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

a. Primary and unpublished sources: Interviews with Mr. A. A. Champion, 642 W. Levee Street, Brownsville, Texas, the week of July 26, Mr. Champion has conducted extensive documentary- research into the nine- teenth-century history of Brownsville. He shared the infor- mation in his files on William Douglas and answered questions about the Drug Store in the nineteenth century. Interview on August 8, with Mr. Peter Heinz, of Russell Street, Brownsville, Texas. Mr. Heinz has been associated with the building since He furnished in- formation about twentieth century use of the building, title problems, and alterations. File on the "Brownsville Courtroom"at the Texas Historical Commission, Box Austin, Texas b. Secondary and published sources: Chatfield, W. H*, The Twin Cities of the Border.

Originally published in Reprinted in by the Harbert Daven- port Memorial Fund, the Brownsville Historical Association, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Historical Society. Rio Grande Sentinel, dated June 26, no page numbers. Microfilmed copy in the collection of A. A. Champion, at 642 West Levee Street, Brownsville, Texas. Sanborn Maps of Brownsville, Texas, dated and Prepared by: Betty Bird University of Virginia Project Historian W DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 7) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: This small brick building is an example of a mid-nineteenth-century commercial space in Brownsville. 2, Condition of fabric: Good. B. Description of Exterior: 1.

Over-all dimensions: This three-bay, one-story, rectangular building is approximately twenty-five feet across the front by one hundred thirty-five feet in length. 2. Foundation: Foundation is brick throughout. 3. Wall construction, finish, and color: Walls are treated with fine stucco or plaster over brick, and painted ivory with a sill band between the window sill level and street level, painted beige. A corbeled, denticulated, brick cornice with blocking courses above it, extends across the front facade and approximately two-thirds of the side facade. Below the cornice on the front are three cast- iron attic vents.

There is a belt course below the vents which runs across the front facade and extends around the side, and be- comes the parapet cap at about the last one-third of the building length. There is a three-course corbel across the rear of the # building at the roof line. 4. Structural system, framing: Construction here is of brick load- bearing walls with frame of wood, and wood columns* 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The main entrance, recessed in the center of the southwest facade, opens into the sales area. The door- way has wooden surrounds and a one-light transom above the door. The door is of wood, framed with a deep sill rail, and has a glass panel. There is a mail slot in the sill rail. The rear door at the alley leads into a stock room.

The double opening has wood surrounds and a concrete sill- The tall pair of wooden doors have a molded panel in'the lower section with a six-light glass panel in the upper section. There are remov- able wood panels across the glass, on the exterior. b, Windows and shutters: There is a display window on each side of the entrance, with the one on the left side (opening to the northwest also), separated by a corner wall. Each display win- dow has an inner face with full glass panel set at an angle to the front. They extend to meet the recessed entrance door. A m single, fixed glass panel in both front and side is wood framed from sill height. There is a painted band across the top of the glass with advertising in it. DOUGLAS DRUG STORE RABS No.

(Page 8) At the northwest facade there is a two-light, fixed-sash, wood display window, with wood surrounds and sill. It, too, has a painted band across the top of the glass. Several openings on the northwest facade have been blocked in and plastered over, as evidenced by the cracking around the plaster on the exterior. One such opening has six-over-six- light, double-hung wood sashes exposed on the inside. 6. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The flat roof, with slight slope for drain- age, has a built-up asphalt covering. b. Cornice, eaves: There is a brick parapet around the two street facades, an adjoining building on the southeast and a metal gutter across the rear, with metal downspout. C. Description of Interior: 1.

Floor plan: The entrance in the center of the southwest facade opens into the sales area. There is an engaged column on each wall about half-way down the room. At the northeast end are two doorways, one on each side, leading to a small office and a stock- room, respectively. The stock room has a double opening leading into a rear stockroom. There are two small toilets on the south- east wall in the rear stockroom. $ 2. Flooring: Concrete is used for floors, some covered with asphalt tile. 3. Walls and ceiling finish: Walls are of painted plaster over brick. There is a gypsum-board partition with diagonal wood lattice around the top enclosing the office. Ceilings are of mineral-fibre tiles, with a ceiling molding at the wall. 4.

Doorways and doors: There are two doorways in the sales area, one leading to the office and the other to the stockroom. These double openings have wood surrounds and a transom above, with iron bars across it. There are no doors. Other doorways are of wood, with wood panel doors. 5. Mechanical equipment: a. Heating: Modern heating and air-conditioning equipment. b. Electrical: Modern fluorescent lighting fixtures are used. DOUGLAS DRUG STORE HABS No. (Page 9) D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The building in the central business district, sits on the northeast side of the street, facing southwest, at the east corner of the intersection of E. Street and E. Elizabeth Street. The surrounding structures are commercial.

A concrete sidewalk extends around the street sides, and a paved alley lies at the rear of the building. Prepared by: John P. White Texas Technological University Project Supervisor PART III. PROJECT INFORMATION At the suggestion of a national preservation consultant, Ellen Beasley, this project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, in cooperation with the Brownsville Historical Association and the Brownsville City Planning Depart- ment. Under the direction of John Poppeliers, Chief of HABS, the project was completed during the summer of at the Historic American Buildings Survey field office, Brownsville, Texas, by John P.

White (Associate Professor, Texas Technological University) Project Supervisor; Betty Bird (University of Vir- ginia) Project Historian; and Student Assistant Architects Scott Deneroff (University of Maryland), Susan Dornbusch (University of Virginia), Matthew Lowry (University of Pennsylvania), Eduardo Luaces (University of Florida) , and Alan tfillig (the City College of the City University of New York) Special assistance and support were provided to the HABS team by Mary Simmons', Sally Fleming, Miss Theresa Champion, and Mr. Calvin Walker of the Browns- ville Historical Association; and by Mr. Mario Moreno, Mr. Richard Waldman, Graciela Salinas, and Mr. Larry Brown of the Brownsville City Planning Department.

Archival photographs of the project were made in February by Bill Engdahl, of Hedrich-Blessing, Chicago, Illinois. Editing and final preparation of the documentation was carried out in the HABS Washington office by Lucy Pope Wheeler of the HABS professional staff.