Hotel Paso del Norte

Constructed between 1910 and 1912, the Hotel Paso del Norte in El Paso, Texas survives as one of the most elegant hotels in the Trans-Pecos Region of Western Texas. The architecture of the Hotel Paso del Norte is typical of much of the "oeuvre" of the designing firm of Trost and Trost of El Paso, Texas, and its principal Henry C. Trost (1860-1933). The Toledo, Ohio-born architect has long been collaterally associated with the Chicago firm of Adler and Sullivan and the larger American Chicago and Prairie Schools of architecture. Some of the work of Trost and Trost in this hotel does show marked Chicago School influences.

It has been suggested that Henry Trost sought to "synthesize" many prevalent turn-of-the-century architectural concepts with other contemporary nineteenth and early twentieth-century architectural genres. If this is so, then the Hotel Paso del Norte may be understood as one of the better examples of this effort. The finely cast Chicago School terra cotta work around the entablature is masterfully combined with numerous allusions to the Beaux Arts Style, both of which are amalgamated within the context of a modern reinforced concrete and brick commercial "high rise."

The Hotel Paso del Norte is also not able of its location on a site of importance in the early history of El Paso; its association with one of the early pioneers of El Paso, Zach T. White; and the outstanding art glass Tiffany dome in the interior lobby.

The site of the hotel was part of the land grant from the Mexican Government to Juan Maria Ponce de Leon in 1827 and 1830, the location of present downtown El Paso. Buildings of the Ponce ranch were occupied by United States troops between 1849 and 1851 when the United States was securing territory acquired as a result of the Mexican War. Ponce died in 1852 and his heirs sold the property to William T. Smith who, with a group of inventors, developed the site into the community of El Paso, platted in 1859 by Anson Mills. The hotel site became the property of Ben Dowell, who in 1873 was elected the mayor of the newly incorporated town. Meetings of the first City Council were held in his place of business which included between 1855 and his death in 1880, a saloon and gambling rooms, a grocery store, and the town post office. Ben Dowell also acted as the Postmaster and handled the mail brought in by the Overland Stage Coaches. Ben Dowell's activities on this site are commemorated in a plaque placed at the east entrance of the hotel by the State National Bank during El Paso's 100th-anniversary celebration in 1973.

Zach T. White came to El Paso in February 1881 even before the railroads reached the town. He prospered and became a wealthy landowner and businessman. In 1892 he watched the Grand Central Hotel in El Paso, thought to be one of the finest in the Southwest, destroyed by fire. He resolved that day to build a fireproof Hotel. In 1906 he, Henry Charles Trost, and his construction engineer, J. E. Lewis, studied the buildings that had survived the earthquake and fire in San Francisco. On these studies, he based the design of the Paso del Norte Hotel, and its cost of 1.5 million dollars was truly astronomical for those days. No expense was spared. Pure gypsum was transported from New Mexico White Sands for use in constructing the interior walls and partitions. However, the most interesting part of the construction was the magnificent lobby, for which Mr. White had Italian artisans brought to El. Paso. A stained glass dome over twenty-five feet in diameter was designed especially for the Hotel Paso del Norte by the great art glass maker, Louis Comfort Tiffany. The lobby today, with its green and gold scagliola, black serpentine marble, and European chandeliers reminds one of the grandeur of the hotel when it opened in 1912.

In a May 1977 article in Texas Monthly Magazine on grand hotels, the lobby of the Hotel Paso del Norte is described as one of the most beautiful in the state of Texas. During its years of operation such famous persons as Gloria Swanson, General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, Will Rogers, Enrique Caruso, Amelia Erhardt, Eleanor Roosevelt, then Vice President Richard Nixon, many prominent Mexican citizens, and scores of other well-known personalities frequented the famous hotel. When Pancho Villa, the Mexican bandit, was operating along the Rio Grande, hotel guests watched from the rooftop as he engaged in skirmishes. Today there are bullet holes along the rooftop from stray rifle shots. In World War I, the hotel was the center of activity for the militia when over 50,000 troops were in El Paso. President Lyndon Johnson and President Diaz- Ordaz of Mexico finalized the Chamizal Treaty Settlement with a luncheon in the lobby in 1968. For years, the Del Norte was the hub of El Paso social events. Cattlemen have been a part of the hotel's history, and it is said that more cattle have been bought and sold in the hotel lobby, usually over a handshake, than in any other place in the world.

On February 1, 1971, the hotel was sold by the daughter of Zach White to the T. G. K. Investment Company. The Paso del Norte Hotel Corporation acquired the hotel in February 1975 and then transferred ownership to Z. W. Limited. The Paso del Norte Hotel Corporation remains a general partner of Z. W. Limited. A complete renovation is planned by the present owners.

That certain tract beginning at the intersection of the West line of South El Paso Street with the North line of West San Antonio Street, thence Northerly along the West line of South El Paso Street 110.25 feet; thence Westerly at right angles to the West line of South El Paso Street and parallel to the North Line of West San Antonio Street 134 feet to the East Line of an alley running Northerly and Southerly through Block 16; thence Southerly along the East Line of said alley 110.25 feet to the North Line of West San Antonio Street; thence Easterly along the North Line of West San Antonio Street 134 feet to the place of beginning, being part of the South half of the East half of Block 16 of the City of El Paso, Texas according to Anson Mills map.