Crysti Couture

Late last week, I decided to participate in a tour of the Anson Mills building in Downtown El Paso. I have a long standing love affair with Downtown El Paso since I grew up on Chihuahuita Street for my entire childhood. Now, I find myself moving back Downtown except instead of moving back to the Chihuahuita Neighborhood, I am moving to the historic Magoffin neighborhood

Nevertheless, I decided to check out the tour. I heard about the beautiful renovations that were recently completed and how they really revamped the overall facade of the historic building.

Before I continue, let me touch on a little history on the building and it’s subject. Anson Mills was a surveyor who planned out the future sprawl of El Paso in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s. He commissioned Henry Trost, an architect originally from Chicago, to build a magnificent building for him and by the time the project was done in 1911 the Anson Mills building stood as the tallest building in El Paso and the second structure in the United States built with reinforced concrete.

Henry Trost continued to build the El Paso skyline, several hotels, the first four Bhutanese inspired buildings at the University of Texas at El Paso and several hundred homes across El Paso. I could go on and on about all of the architectural masterpieces he created but for the sake of readability, let’s continue with the Mills Building.

Renovating and adding onto a historical building can be a zoning and technical nightmare. Luckily the Mills Plaza Property Group, headed by Brent Harris and Paul Foster, were the right people to take on the project. They paid special attention to the details that Trost so painstakingly labored on.

Trost’s attention to detail was his legacy. From the bat cornices, hand painted elevator doors, the marble stairs that extend throughout the entire building and the polished brass, everything was intricately designed and beautifully restored.

At our request, our tour guide granted us access to the 10th floor of the building, which is currently unfinished. This floor is security card accessible only, so I feel fortunate to have been able to capture the following breathtaking images:

Currently, the sidewalks in front of the building are uneven and still contain the original bricks used, however the entire sidewalk will be rebuilt as a part of the new pedestrian promenade that the city intends to create over the next few years.

Currently the Mills building is home to various government offices, the passport office and other classified agencies. Leasing for the building has been in high demand and 65% of the building is currently occupied after only a year and a half from completion of the project. Future plans for the lower level corridor of the Anson Mills building (first picture of this post) include a restaurant called ‘Anson’s’ which will be created by the owners of Barrigas and several high end boutiques.