Constructed 1900.
The Silver City Historic District (SCHD) contains the core commercial downtown, the earliest and finest residences of prominent settlers, and important public buildings such as the Grant County Courthouse, which was the town’s first National Register district listing in 1978 (#375377). The Big Ditch or San Vicente Arroyo is the site of the original Main Street, which was destroyed by a catastrophic flood in 1895. Today, the Ditch creates a ribbon of green space with sizable trees and parkland that is an amenity to the town, and serves as the eastern boundary of the SCHD. The busy commercial streets of Broadway and Bullard reflect the town’s early prosperity as a result of the mining industry and railroad commerce. The district boasts fine examples of Italianate architecture, Mission Revival buildings, Art Deco landmarks such as the Murray Hotel and the Gila Theater. Yankie Street is a picturesque assembly of brick and pressed metal storefronts that has attracted artists studios and galleries.
The south end of Bullard Street, which includes the Bullard Hotel, the Texas-Louisiana Power Plant, the Silver Liquor Company Warehouse, the Ice Storage Building, and the Home Furniture Building was excluded from the early district listing. However, these resources, which fall within the new period of significance, warrant inclusion based on their location, historic integrity, and strong associations with the railroad boom of Silver City. This last block on the east side of South Bullard is being included to the Silver City Historic District for local significance as intact examples of a railroad-era hotel, power plant supplying electricity to the town and nearby communities, and warehouses used for storage of important commodities. These resources reflect Silver City’s early twentieth-century growth and reveal the influence that the railroad had on commercial development.
Black, College, Hudson, Spring, Broadway and Bullard Streets Silver City, NM 88061
photo by Elmo Baca.
