Rosenfield Building
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of Columbus' first downtown commercial structures, built here in 1837, housed a doctor's family and office from 1850 to 1866. John Rosenfield bought the property in 1872 and about 1896 erected this building. A fine example of a turn of the century commercial storefront, it features first and second floor 4-bay facades, terra cotta ornamentation, front wooden sash windows with transoms, and buff brick construction. Various businesses have occupied the building.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Columbus was one of the oldest Anglo settlements in Texas, and this corner held one of its earliest downtown commercial structures, raised in 1837 and later home to a doctor's family and practice. In 1872 merchant John Rosenfield acquired the property, and around 1896 he built the handsome brick storefront that stands today. With its buff-brick walls, terra cotta trim, and paired-bay upper facade, it is a textbook example of a turn-of-the-century small-town Main Street.
Why it matters
Modest commercial buildings like this one are the surviving fabric of the Gilded Age Texas town, where general stores and offices anchored local economies along the railroad-era square.
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Related people
- · John Rosenfield
Themes & tags
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