1718 Lubbock

In 1909 Nicolo Barcia, an Italian immigrant, purchased the corner lot and 8' of the adjoining lot.  He built the 2-story brick building now at 1718 Lubbock.  Since 1899 Barcia had been a grocer in Houston at various locations.  In the 1913 city directory Albert Keller is operating a grocery store in the new brick building, and then Barcia began to operate a grocery store and a saloon in his new building.  Nicholas Barcia died in 1916.  His widow then married Frank Pitarra, a young Italian immigrant and shoemaker, and the building remained in the Pitarra family until 1969.  For 4 decades many different proprietors ran a grocery store there, and the 1960's it was the home of La Providencia Bakery.

In the early 1880's Duncan McDonald, a Canadian immigrant, built a large 1-story house facing Lubbock at the corner of Lubbock and Sabine.  He lived there until the late 1890's.  He worked for the H. & T. C. as a bridge builder and then roadmaster.  Nicolo Barcia moved the house to the rear of the lot and rotated it 90 degrees to face Sabine at 706 Sabine.  It was demolished, probably in the 1990's, after having been damaged by fire.

In 1909 Nicolo Barcia got a warranty deed to a lot 58' x 100' and a quitclaim deed to 14.5' of land originally part of Sabine Street which the seller had enclosed with a fence.  The current brick building occupies that part of Sabine.  Note that Sabine is wider south of Lubbock than north of Lubbock. 

For additional historical details click here.