The Friday Video on Wednesday: The Architecture of Trost

With all the good news about historic restorations in downtown El Paso, Only in El Paso's latest video creation is timely. "The Architecture of Trost" features Dr. Max Grossman, Vice-Chair of the El Paso County Historical Commission, and Malissa Arras, Executive Director of the Texas Trost Society.

El Paso County Historical Commission on Facebook
Texas Trost Society on Facebook

[If you can't see the video in your email, go to www.elpasonaturally.blogspot.com.]

Trost Treasure Popular To Be Restored

Popular Dry Goods Building. Photo by Marc Stone.

On its Facebook page, the El Paso County Historical Commission reports that a Henry Trost treasure, the Popular Dry Goods Building, in El Paso will be restored. "Owner Fallas Paredes will hire a contractor in Los Angeles and undertake the restoration of both the interior and exterior! The Popular is one of the most beautiful and significant buildings in Texas and is number 4 on our list of the most endangered buildings in Downtown El Paso. Its restoration is extremely welcome news!" 

Popular Dry Goods Building 1917

The building was completed in 1917. Fallas Discount Stores now occupies the bottom 3 floors. The rest of the building is vacant. After restoring a similar building in Los Angeles, Paredes saw the value of restoring historical buildings. Since the Popular is already on the National Register, he can receive federal and state monies for the restoration. A higher end store will occupy the bottom floors with apartments in the upper floors.

Robbie Gray breaks the story today in the El Paso Inc.

Friday Video on Monday: Downtown Fort Worth - Sundance Square

First, here is Jerry Rubin's and River Oaks' vision for downtown El Paso:

"'Demolition of a building at San Antonio and Mesa in Downtown is underway. It's one of five buildings River Oaks Properties is demolishing on a Downtown block for possible future development. Preservationists had tried to get the city to stop the demolitions because they said the buildings are historically important for El Paso.' ( Rudy Gutierrez—El Paso Times)"

Here's another:

Oops - sorry that was the aftermath of a demolition fire at the historic First National Bank Building - a property owned by River Oaks.

See KVIA's raw video footage of the demolition of a building on San Antonio. That demolition violated construction rules. The demolition company working for River Oaks will be slapped with a (don't fall out of your seats now) whopping $1700 fine. (Chump change.)

You be the judge. Here's a ahhh lovely River Oaks development, another strip mall, the El Dorado Plaza:

Here's the Trost's John Muir Building, an architectural gem not a tacky strip mall (now demolished):

With some work the John Muir building could have been restored just as the Mulligan/Luther building now has been for the City of El Paso:

Now (finally) watch the video and imagine what could be if love for community, civic duty and pride for our heritage win out over greed:




And do visit Sundancesquare.com. This is what can be in El Paso. We deserve it. Not this, River Oaks.