Commercial College Building 210 Santa Fe Ave.

The Commercial College Building was constructed in 1985 for Anna R. Bole on land acquired from La Junta businessman and civic leader Thomas Tyson Wodruff. Thomas Woodruff would offer land that he owned as a site for buildings that would house functions that he felt would benefit the citizens of La Junta. Woodruff and Bole entered into a real estate deal for two lots on Santa Fe Avenue to begin the construction of a three-story building to house Anna's commercial college. 

The Commercial College would train area residents for careers in business, offering both men and women instruction in stenography, bookkeeping, and other business-related skills. The building was estimated to cost $10,000, with the first floors being occupied by commercial businesses and the college occupying the second and third floors. 

The college struggled financially and by 1896 had only graduated 8 young men and women. All assigned rents collected from leasing space in the building went to Woodruff and the property entered into foreclosure in 1898, with Woodruff regaining ownership of the property the following year. The college remained in the building until September 29, 1900, when they were evicted from the building. 

In 1899, the Commercial College Building was a temporary headquarters for La Junta's city government. The city council chamber, offices of the water commissioner, and police magistrate were housed in the building while a new town hall was built. 

The building housed a wide variety of lectures, meetings, musical performances, and religious, political, and social gatherings during the late 1890s and early twentieth century. According to Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection the building was mentioned in more than 230 articles. The articles indicate that the hall was made available to all residents of La Junta, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. The "Darktown" German Club held a social dance in the hall. "Darktown" was a term used to describe the neighborhood where many of the La Junta's Black residents lived. The hall also held the first annual ball of the Spanish-American Union, along with a wide variety of women's groups such as the Fortnightly Club, and Women's Christian Temperance Union.

In 1909, Woodruff transferred an interest in the Commercial College Building to Otero County School District Number 11, to aid in the expansion or extension of industrial education, as a branch of the public school system. Transferring interest was somewhat controversial, to the point that Woodruff felt the need to defend himself in the La Junta Tribune. When Woodruff died in 1919, the building was documented as housing a public library on the second floor. 

Over the years the building also housed F.M. Stark & Co. furniture store, C.M. Harrison & Son furniture business, George F. Mosher's grocery business, and J.W. Sherman's grocery. These were replaced by a drug store, dry good and shoe store.