Whenever I walk downtown I tend to pass this building. It's located in the northern part of downtown, roughly in what I call the "dead zone". The Sunset Heights neighborhood overlooks downtown -- the buffer between my neighborhood and the real downtown is the dead zone. First you got the interstate (built in the 60s) that severed the neighborhood from the commercial center. Over time, the old buildings in this roughly 18 block area just south of the freeway took a dirt nap. Currently there are about 10 or so vintage buildings in this area. Think about that for a sec. The vast majority of the dead zone is parking lot or insignificant modern construction. Looks like we can scratch another building off the list.
The other day I was floored when I saw this cool old building missing its hat. At first I was optimistic and thought "oh they're just going to put on a new roof, no big deal -- it's about time". Alas, it was not to be. Today I passed by again and a substantial part of the brick walls are torn down. Now the building itself isn't a particularly amazing piece of architecture. A late victorian apartment building with some neat features. I liked the bay windows and the turned posts on the porch. Years ago there was a fire here, not sure if it was also when the victorian house next door burned down.
The building at 419 El Paso St was built in 1898 for Sarah Gist as a boarding house. Several of the tenants were doctors associated with one of the first hospitals in el paso. As far as I can remember this building has been abandoned and in shambles. There is development going on just south of this block so there may be interest to sell. However, my guess as to why it's coming down now is it was a preemptive move. The city is getting serious with abandoned buildings and is on the verge of unleashing a new ordinance to enforce the codes that downtown building owners have been ignoring the past 30 years. On top of that, the Historic Landmark Commission had an interest in this particular building for a historic overlay. With the building gone, the owner won't have to worry about getting visits from city inspectors and/or historic preservation. Part of the charm of downtown is all the old buildings. You'd never know it by walking through the dead zone though. Here's hoping the property owners who still own the handful of vintage buildings in this area consider the value of the brick and mortar, not just the land underneath them.
Not to be all doom and gloom, I'd like to highlight other buildings that are actually getting fixed up -- possibly by the threat of the same city ordinance. I'll save that for next time.
The Caples building. Probably one of the most significant buildings in all of downtown. Originally built in 1909 by Henry C. Trost for Richard Caples, former mayor of El Paso from 1889 to 1893. The building was initially built with five stories, but then in 1915 two additional stories were added converting the overall design to Romanesque Revival. I love the terra cotta detailing and arched windows of the upper stories. Aside from the architectural features, it also has a significant history. During the Mexican Revolution, it housed the offices of various Mexican political figures -- most notably Abraham Gonzalez and Francisco Madero. The pivotal Battle of Juarez in 1911 was plotted in the fifth floor. I believe Madero's provisional government as the new president was initially run out of this building. Of course, those were turbulent times and his presidency didn't last long. He was forced out a few years later by Victoriano Huerta.
Ok, enough with the history lesson. As you can see the building is pretty run down -- it's been that way for the last few decades. It was recently listed as one of the most endangered buildings by Preservation Texas. What I find quite exciting is that it finally looks like it's getting some much deserved TLC. The owner recently filed a request to replace all the windows and refinish the window frames on the exterior. I walked by the other day though and it looks like they're actually restoring the windows, just replacing the glass. It's going to look so awesome -- a good start to breathing new life into this old building. I hope they remove the plywood addition between the two towers in the U-shaped design. A lot of the brick and terra cotta could use some love too. My suspicion is this building is getting fixed up now as a result of the new city ordinance to bring vacant buildings (in their entirety) back up to code. So while this building lost its fight recently, I do like seeing the positive of what stronger city enforcement will mean.
