Hills, W. S., Commercial Structure
215--219 San Antonio Ave., El Paso, TXKnown locally as the W. S. Hills Building, the classical revival commercial structure was commissioned in 1926 by Mrs. Hills in memory of her husband. Longtime residents of the city, the Hills are noted as making significant contributions to both the financial and commercial development as well as the cultural expansion of El Paso.
Mr. Hill, educated in law at Harvard, arrived from St. Louis in 1879 to investigate the real estate holdings of a St. Louis firm that had indirectly come into possession of land in the area. Immediately recognizing the potential for growth and development, he established himself as a realtor and constructed the first two-story building in the settlement of adobe structures. This new building served as both a residence and office and existed on the site of the current Hills building. Mrs. Hills arrived three years later with their son. Well- educated and traveled, Mrs. Hills made a cultural impact on the community with her devel- oped artistic and aesthetic capabilities. Mr. Hills died at the turn of the century and Mrs. Hills later moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. She did however engage the firm of Trost and Trost to design the two-story structure to be built on the site of the original one in memory of her husband. The structure, still occupied for commercial use, is owned by the Coles family, relatives of Mrs. Hills.
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.