Real estate appraisal card. 123 Lower (or North) F Street, part of lots 14-16, block 4, in Salida, Colorado.
This building is associated with the commercial development of North F Street, having been erected about 1888-1890 as a saloon and later becoming a grocery.
The 1888 Sanborn map shows a one-story frame saloon on this site. The 1890 Sanborn map shows the present buildings, which is also indicated as a saloon. The 1903 city directory indicates that the business was known as 'Ryan's Arcade' or 'The Arcade Bar'. Patrick H. Ryan was the proprietor of the bar and the building was known as the Ryan Block. The 1914 Sanborn map indicated that the building still housed a saloon. By 1922, Prohibition had been enacted, and saloons were no longer listed in the city directory. By that year, Argys Mercantile Company was located here. Dick, Gus, and Theodore Argys were owners and operators of the company, a retail grocery and meat establishment. The Argys Brothers were also the local distributors for Nash automobiles. The Argys Brothers Garage was locatged in the alley just east of the grocery. Theodore Argys was in charge of the retail store. In 1951, the store was known as Argys Market Grocery store, with Theodore as owner and Theodore, Jr. as manager. The Cox Drugstore owned by John F. Cox was also located here in 1951. By 1961, Louis Argys Plumbing & Heating was in operation at this location.
History Colorado's Architectural Inventory Forms have more information and are available at the Salida Library.
