Raton Cleanup Continues at Old JC Penny Building on 2nd Street

By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media

The cleanup continues as the City of Raton begins the process of removing one more dilapidated building at 222 South Second Street the old JC Penny Building.

It took cleanup crews over a week to get 1521 Cedar St cleaned up moving more than 20 old vehicles and other stuff.

Work crews have moved in to 222 South Second Street the Old JC Penny building to begin the demolition of that old building. Built in the early 1950s and occupied from 1955 to around 1976 by the Roy Polage family who ran the JC Penny store until Roy was forced into retirement in 1976 at age 62. Ivan Caylor who ran the JC Penny store in Clayton NM moved to Raton to take over the operation here until October of 1986 when the JC Penny store was closed.

The building had a steel frame structure and was covered with three layers of brick thick and other clay style blocks. Definitely a sturdy building that was plagued by drainage issues. It was noted that there were two big water pumps in the basement that were used to keep water pumped out of the basement. According to Blaine Polage, Roy’s son, water could be seen in the bottom of the elevator shaft most of the time. He remembers the store as he spent many of his younger years growing up there.

The building has spent the last 35 years vacant and even grown a few small trees in the roof.