The Historic Buildings of Nogales

The Customs House

The building of the new Customs House was finished in 1887. It was the most expensive building built by the federal government in Northern Sonora until then: $83,882.17, and in spite of being apparently too big for a town so new and small, the French neoclassical building was absolutely necessary, because even though the Customs had been established only seven years earlier, by then it was estimated that the contraband coming into Mexico each year had a value that greatly exceeded what the building had cost.

However, the Customs House wasn´t delivered totally finished: for five years the circular windows of the towers remained empty.

Even though it is believed that the clock that finally adorned it's towers was imported from France, and that it was a personal gift from President Porfirio Diaz to the new town, the reality is that it was acquired in the USA. It was a Seth Thomas, Model 15, ordered on March 4, 1892 through the Prospero Sandoval Customs Brokerage House: It had 4 sets of dials. After the buyers got a discount of 30%, it´s total cost was $308.70 Dlls.

However, even after installing the clock, modernity didn´t fully arrive, as the next year the train was assaulted in Agua Zarca.

This building was torn down during the 1950 during the PRONAF Federal border remodeling program.

The Catholic Church

The first building of the Catholic Church in Nogales (today´s Purisima Concepcion) was begun in 1886.

Probably there was a collection to build it, and the funds obtained weren´t enough to buy formally a lot, as the temple was located precisely over Calle Ochoa, using a small natural rise that formed a small extension of the hill located to it´s East. That is the reason that today the church is a little elevated from the level of the floor. This is also the reason that when Ochoa Street was extended towards the East, bcause the church blocked the street, it was necessary to use a piece of land from the lot situated to the South (a lot who was donated by a Chinese national).

The reason that the church was located precisely over the street is because Calle Juarez in those years ended just North of the Church, immediately bordering the yards of the Railroad. For the Nogales Government it would be cheaper to donate that small rise of land than to just build a small stretch of street.

The building, which then had it´s access on the West -towards the arroyo- was a large room with a couple of windows on each side, North and South, which only sporadically received the visit of a priest.

It wasn't until October 1890 when Father Patricio Sanchez was established as it's first Priest.

On June 27, 1896, a ball was organized to get funds for the remodeling of the temple. To head this work E. B. Hogan was contracted, who by November finished his remodeling work. The remodelation consisted on finishing the walls, and changing the facade to Juarez Street.

The new facade was formed by a small window over a door with a circular top, besides a couple of windows, one on each side of the door, and a small lantern was put at the top of the building.

In any case, there was no room for the priest, who lived in a small room located behind the church.

Today's Obregon Street (who was named then Arizpe) was then only a vague outline following among small buildings made of wood and adobe, while the whole block located between Pierson and Ochoa hadn't been built then.

The church was again remodeled during the last days of the Diaz regime: the walls of the temple were covered with the rock that is locally known as cantera. A tower was also added, the walls were raised even more, reinforcing them with abutements, and a house for the Priest was built behind the temple.

Probably the reason that another tower wasn't built then was the lack of funds, because only the frontal portion of the church was covered with rocks. Only until recently the second tower, on the North side of the temple, was also built.

The Municipal Government Buildings

The first building used for the government of the Municipality were some rooms near a small cave on Elias Street. However, by December 4, 1889, the Municipal President asked the State Government to be allowed to build a new Municipal House. Six days later he received his permit, although the lack of funds didn't allow it to be built immediately.

On March 1896 the building on the corner of Campillo and Juarez was started. It measured 100 feet by 100 feet. It copied somewhat the style of the Customs House, located just in front of it, and was dedicated on July 1, 1897. The jail was then located in today's Edificio del Estado, between Campillo and Hidalgo.

In 1910, the year when the Mexican Revolution started, a new building was begun. It was designed by Engineer Ignacio Bonillas, even though originally it was planned to be the jail, and was located at the corner of today's Municipal Building, on Arizpe and Gonzalez.

Then the Revolution came, and the Municipal Building (Campillo and Juarez) was used first as the Prefectura, later as Comandancia Militar, and finally as Presidencia Municipal.

After the defeat of the Maytorenistas in Nogales (November 1915), this building continued to function as the Presidencia Municipal, while the jail remained at the corner of Arizpe and Gonzalez

Finally, on June 24, 1921, the offices of the Presidencia Municipal were transfered to the building where they are today located, while the evacuated building was sold to the Federal Government. This building was used for a short period of time for the Military paymaster, and later as Post Office.