Learn the history of all the historic buildings surrounding the plaza.
Illustration by Rick Geary.
PLAZA HOTEL
1882 | 230 Plaza St.
The three-story brick Italianate “Belle of the Southwest” cost $25,000 for a consortium of local partners to build.
CHARLES ILFELD BUILDING
1882 and 1890 | 224 Plaza St.
German immigrant Charles Ilfeld, one of the most prosperous businessmen in New Mexico, opened Ilfeld’s Great Emporium in 1883, selling groceries, hardware, furniture, dry goods, and more.
MAESE HOUSE
1836 | 210–218 Plaza St.
On August 15, 1846, Brig. Gen. Stephen W. Kearny stood on the roof of Mayor Juan de Dios Maese’s adobe home and proclaimed New Mexico to be a part of the United States. This is one of Las Vegas’s oldest buildings.
ROMERO BLOCK
1919 | 178 Bridge St.
The California Mission Revival building was built for a local politician by Isaac and William Rapp. Since 1879, this corner of the plaza has served as a drugstore under various owners.
E. ROMERO HOSE AND FIRE COMPANY
1909 | 155 Bridge St.
The two-story World’s Fair Classic structure, designed by local architect E.W. Hart, was the first volunteer fire company in New Mexico. Formed in 1882, it continued until 2003 and now houses a free museum.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
1883 | 181 Bridge St.
The pediment of this Italianate bank, the first in town, towers above the surrounding buildings.
EMMANUEL ROSENWALD BUILDING
1908 | 205 Plaza St.
Bavarian immigrant Emmanuel Rosenwald sold goods in this Beaux-Arts edifice until 1923. In the 1940s, a parachute factory moved in. The last business in the building was Navajo Textiles, though murals have brightened up the façade.
VEEDER BUILDING
1895–1896, 1809 | 1811, 1813 Plaza St.
Lawyers and brothers Elmer and John Veeder lived on the second floor of this Moorish-style decorative brick structure. A doorway stood in for the Sheriff’s Department of Absaroka County, Wyoming, in Longmire (2012–2017).
Read more: Once frequented by presidents, the Chapman Masonic Lodge No. 2 needs some TLC to return to its former glory.
