This three-story apartment building has commercial spaces on the ground floor. It is clad in ochre brick with cast stone trim. Hooded bays project from the upper stories; those on the east side originally were open porches, and now are enclosed with windows. Storefronts on the east wall have been stuccoed over. An early design by Wiley G. Clarkson — a prominent Fort Worth architect in the 1920s and 1930s — the building was constructed in 1916 for B. Max Mehl, a world renowned numismatist whose clients included Winston Churchill and Adolph Menjou. His business — the Numismatic Co. of Texas — was located in this building on W. Magnolia Avenue. An elegant cast stone storefront added in the early 1930s is intact. It has Romanesque styling with plaques depicting early American coins. For its architectural significance and association with an individual important in numismatics, the Mehl Building appears to be eligible for the National Register. The Mehl Building was designated Highly Significant Endangered in 1995. After years of neglect, it is being rehabbed by Daedalus Development. The upper photo was taken in 1983; the lower was taken in 2006 during its rehabilitation.
