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.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Flagstaff, AZ  |  Coconino County  |  86001  |  Arizona  |  United States of America

Verkamp Building
Ricket & Brooks Bldg.
Flagstaff's Founding
Donahue Building
Weatherford Hotel
Aubineau / Andreatos Building
Telephone Exchange
Coconino Chop House
Raymond Building
"The Gandy Dancer"

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.