El Paso High School
1600 N. Virginia St., El Paso, TXEl Paso High School, the oldest remaining and first separate high school in the city, has been in continuous use since its completion in 1916. This outstanding example of early 20th-century Neo-Classicism, one of the most noteworthy examples in the state, attests to the planning and aesthetic achievements of the architectural firm of Trost and Trost. The un- us usual layout of the campus incorporates the athletic playing field and school building in a monumental design. In addition, the school's auditorium has since become the first Center for the Performing Arts of the El Paso Independent School System.
Established in El Paso in the first decade of the 20th century, the architectural firm of Trost and Trost was headed by Henry C. Trost along with his brother, Gustavos Adolphus, and cousin, George Ernest. Henry, the firm's principal designer, had previously lived and practiced in Chicago and a number of other cities in the south and west. The more than 800 buildings constructed throughout the southwest that is attributed to the firm show a refreshing originality and sophisticated comprehension of the various stylistic movements of the turn of the century. Among Trost's El Paso structures, his own home was listed on 7/12/78 and the Hotel Paso del Norte on 1/18/79, while a thematic nomination that includes 15 early 20th-century commercial structures in the Central Business District was submitted on 3/17/80.
Several schools throughout the country were examined before the El Paso facility was planned. The resulting design, executed in 1914, was an ingenious solution that exhibits rational programming, spatial economics, and magnificent visual presence. Finely proportioned on a grand scale, the elegantly detailed building is one of Texas' finest examples of the Classic Revival movement. J. E. Morgan constructed the concrete frame of the building in 1915 and the American Construction Company of Houston completed the work. The heating and ventilating contract went to Elliott Engineering Company of El Paso and the stadium, with a capacity of 12,000, was constructed by J. F. Woodward, Jr.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.