Babbitt Brothers Building
1888
In 1888, David Babbitt, who had been running a lumber yard on this site, decided to construct a general store. Starting in late summer, he built a 35 X 70 foot structure on this corner, with the long side of the building running west along Aspen Avenue. He used red Moencopi sandstone, locally quarried, as his principal material.
His brothers William, George, Charles and Edward eventually joined him in the enterprise. In 1891, when Coconino County was formed, it had no office building, so the Babbitt Brothers added to their building, renting space to the county. From 1891 – 1894, part of this building was, in effect, the Coconino County Courthouse. In 1904, another addition was constructed. The additions ran north along San Francisco Street, and then wrapped around the original core to meet Aspen Avenue.
The Babbitt Brothers store eventually grew to become the largest department store in Arizona and had an amazing array of goods under it roof.
In 1957, during a modernizing campaign, a smooth stucco facing was placed over the original red sandstone. Thirty years later, competition from shopping centers forced the closure of the grand old store. In 1990, the stucco facing was removed and the Aspen Avenue additions to the structure were cut away, saving the San Francisco side of the building and restoring its original appearance.
Marker is at the intersection of East Aspen Avenue and North San Francisco Street. on East Aspen Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
