Rosenfield Building

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, Columbus, Texas has got streets lined with stories, and this one starts earlier than you might think. Way back in 1837, one of Columbus' first downtown commercial structures went up right here on this spot.

Eighteen thirty-seven, folks. That's not a misprint. And for a stretch from 1850 to 1866, that original building housed a doctor's family and office, which means people were walking through that door with their ailments and their worries for the better part of sixteen years.

History has a way of layering itself in a place like that. Then comes 1872, and a man named John Rosenfield buys the property. Now John Rosenfield, he had a vision, and he let it sit a good while before he acted on it, because it wasn't until about 1896 that he erected the building you can see standing there today.

And when he built it, he built something worth looking at. This is a fine example of a turn of the century commercial storefront, and it earns that description. You've got first and second floor four-bay facades.

Terra cotta ornamentation. Front wooden sash windows with transoms. And the whole thing is put together in buff brick construction.

That combination of materials and detail, it speaks to a time when a merchant who was serious about his town built something that said so. Various businesses have occupied this building over the years, each one adding its own quiet chapter to a story that started all the way back in 1837. Some buildings just have a knack for staying in the middle of things.

What the marker says

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.