Isaacson Building
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Isaacson Building | |
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| Location | St. Johns, Arizona |
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| Coordinates | 34°30′22″N 109°21′49″W / 34.50611°N 109.36361°W |
| Architectural style | Early commercial |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002997[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 12, 1983 |
The Isaacson Building is a two-story commercial structure, built in 1918 of local granite. It is located in St. Johns, Arizona in Apache County.
By the mid-1500s, the Little Colorado River Valley was settled by a predominantly Mexican population. There were several small towns in existence by the 1870s, including El Vadito, which would be renamed first San Juan, and later St. Johns. It is the only one of these early settlements still extant. Mormons from Utah begin to immigrate to the valley during the 1860s-1880s, with the intent of establishing a Mormon church along the Little Colorado River. They intermingled in El Vadito with the existing Mexican population. Also during this period, the town grew with an inflow of cattlemen, farmers, and sheepherders. In 1879, the now named St. Johns was designated the country seat of the newly formed Apache County.[2]
In 1876, Isaac Isaacson emigrated to Brigham City, Arizona, near present-day Winslow. When that town failed, he moved north of St. Johns in 1882, and at the turn of the century he moved into St. Johns proper.[3] In 1918, using local materials which his companies provided, he constructed the Isaacson Building on Commercial Street in St. Johns.[4] The construction was done by a local builder, Genaro Acosta.[3]
