Historic Districts
Clovis Railroad and Commercial Historic District
East Region
Constructed 1930
In October of 1906, railroad officials bought 640 acres of land, and on April 13, 1907 they filed the Clovis town site plat. Railroad facilities, including a large roundhouse, machine shops, offices for division personnel, and a Harvey Hotel, were established at the south end of Main Street. The commercial district began to burgeon along Main Street almost immediately. The monikers of Magic City and Infant Wonder of the West were soon tied to Clovis, as the first official Census showed 3,255 people in 1910.
In addition to Main Street, early commercial development predominantly occurred on two adjoining parallel streets, Pile and Mitchell, as well as along Hagerman (now First Street), which parallels and is adjacent to the railroad tracks. Historically, both Mitchell and Pile streets included a combination of residential and commercial buildings; however, there are fewer dwellings on these streets within the district boundary today, and if there are houses, most have been converted into businesses. In the mid-to-late twentieth century, additional modern commercial development took place along Prince Street (State Highway 209), which runs north and south.
Clovis retains many two-story brick buildings with decorative corbelled cornices that date to the town's establishment. The historic buildings display varying degrees of integrity; many received altered storefronts in the mid-twentieth century. Clovis has many fine examples of mid-century modern architecture, many of which can be found in the downtown district.
(source: Heather Barrett, NM State Register nomination)
Eight St., Railyard, Pike St., Mitchell St. | Clovis, NM 88101
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