Preservation Texas West Region

11/06/2025

J. C. PENNEY BUILDING, SAN ANTONIO AVE. AT STANTON ST., 1932. EL PASO, TX.

The brick building stands today on the corner of San Antonio Avenue and Stanton Street. It was designed by Henry Loany and completed in 1929.

Courtesy of our friends at El Juarez the Ayer page.

11/06/2025

The building housed the Mt. Franklin Country Club and the Southern Baptist Sanatorium. It was built in 1916.

A 100-year-old building that once housed a Baptist, TB sanatorium is on a 28-acre site that El Paso Water is eyeing for a possible stormwater project. See link below ⬇️ bit.ly/4qKK70Z

10/05/2025

WAITING OUTSIDE TROST’S PASO DEL NORTE HOTEL, CIRCA 1940!

This is one of the best early color photos we have ever seen and one of our all-time favorites. The hotel entrance pictured here is on San Antonio Ave.

Copyright Dave Gelinas, https://hiveminer.com/Tags/kodachrome%2Credborderslide

10/04/2025

Happening today! Please join us for the opening of our traveling exhibit Adobe at the Pass: Documenting the Mission Valley in 1936.

Saturday, October 4th, 2025 at 3:00pm

Los Portales Museum and Information Center, San Elizario, TX.

The exhibit debuted at our West Texas Heritage Center in downtown El Paso earlier this year and will now travel to other venues in El Paso County. Many thanks to Los Portales Museum and Information Center for hosting us.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience an exhibit that explores the significance, history, and future of adobe in West Texas.

It will be on view until February 14, 2025.

10/02/2025

Los Portales (Casa Garcia), c. 1855, San Elizario, Texas.

Casa Gregorio García was constructed circa 1855 as a private residence by Texas Rangers Captain Gregorio Nacianceno García (1817-1896), a respected citizen of San Elizario. In addition to serving in the Texas Rangers’ Frontier Forces Division, García held positions as County Commissioner, Mayor, and County Judge of San Elizario.

In the 1870s, García donated the residence to be used as a schoolhouse, and it served in this capacity until 1922. Afterward, the building was converted into apartments, as it remained until
1965. Today, it serves as Los Portales Museum.

Come learn more about this and other emblematic adobe structures at the Adobe at the Pass exhibit opening at Los Portales Museum and Information Center on Saturday, October 4, starting at 3:00pm.

08/30/2025

MESA STREET, 1977.

Here is a view of Mesa Street. We see four prominent buildings in this photograph dating to 1977. From the right is the Buckler Block (1911), W.S. Hills (1926), Abdou (1910), and the Caples Building (1909) in the distance. All stand today and were designed by Trost & Trost Architects.

Photo Courtesy of the El Paso Public Library.

08/06/2025

We encourage communities, organizations, and individuals to share their success stories and nominate those who are making a difference!

PT presents biennial Honor Awards that recognize outstanding individuals in the field of preservation, as well as recent preservation projects from across the state! The 2025 Honor Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 30th, in San Antonio.

Our 2025 Honor Awards are divided into two main categories: Individual Awards and Preservation Project Awards, each with several specialized subcategories. Self-nominations are welcome. For more details and to submit a nomination, visit preservationtexas.org/honorawards

08/05/2025

Join Preservation Texas for an evening lecture with Danielle Brissette, site manager of the Magoffin Home State Historic Site, who will share a behind-the-walls look at one of El Paso’s most significant restoration projects.

Built in 1875—before the railroad reached El Paso—the Magoffin Home is a rare survivor of the city’s adobe era and a witness to over a century of Southwestern history. Three generations of the Magoffin family shaped and were shaped by regional politics, commerce, military service, faith, and civic life. Brissette will share the vision and plans for the site’s $4.1 million restoration, funded by the Texas Historical Commission and the State of Texas, revealing how this meticulous project will safeguard not just a historic structure, but an enduring story still unfolding.

The event will be held on Friday, August 15 from 5:30-7:00pm at our West Texas Heritage Center at 201 E. San Antonio Avenue.

Please use the following link to register: https://www.preservationtexas.org/elpaso-events/magoffin-lecture.

Contact us with any questions at [email protected].

08/04/2025

Many thanks to KFOX for covering our hands-on adobe workshop at the City of Socorro's Rio Vista Farm on July 12, 2025.

Are you interested in supporting our mission in El Paso and West Texas and staying tuned for future events? Please consider becoming a member or making a donation. More information can be found via preservationtexas.org/membership and https://www.preservationtexas.org/donate/westtexas.

07/14/2025

07/13/2025

Preservation Texas was delighted to host a two-day long program from July 11 to 12, 2025, focused on the oldest known building material, adobe.

We started with an orientation session on July 11 to provide participants with an overview of what they would see on the field the next day.

The hands-on component was held on July 12 at Rio Vista Farm, a National Historic Landmark in Socorro. Participants obtained valuable experience in brick making and learned methods of adobe conservation and preservation.

Thanks to everyone who participated in two days filled with camaraderie, community, and earth. A warm thanks to our partners at Querencia Mi Mesilla and Cornerstones Community Partnerships, particularly Pat Taylor and his interns, for helping us lead this unique event.

Please stay tuned for other events in West Texas and El Paso via preservationtexas.org/elpaso. Another adobe workshop is coming soon later this year.

Our heartfelt thanks to our sponsors who made this program possible, the County of El Paso and the City of Socorro.

To support our ongoing work, please consider becoming a member via preservationtexas.org/membership and making a donation. You may also visit us at our West Texas Heritage Center at 201 E. San Antonio Avenue in downtown El Paso. Information in bio!