Century-Old El Paso Church May See Long-Awaited Restoration

An effort is underway to restore and renovate one of the most historic churches in El Paso.

The red brick Sacred Heart Church is located at the intersection of S. Oregon Street and E. 4th Street and was built in 1923. It is part of a complex of several structures constructed between the 1890s and 1920s.

Referenced by the El Paso Herald Post as the “most iconic building in the Segundo Barrio,” the church, long in need of structural upgrades, is now the subject of an effort designed to raise enough funds to pay for that work.

That effort, called “Restore Sacred Heart Church,” is additionally seeking tax credits and grants to make the restoration possible.

An executive committee tasked chaired by Father Rafael Garcia, pastor of the parish, and Max Grossman, an associate professor of art history at the University of Texas at El Paso, has been formed to spearhead the restoration effort.

The project is expected to see the installation of new air conditioning and heating systems and the upgrading of bathrooms to make them Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

It is thought that it will cost as much as $30 million to pay for the work, $500,000 of which has already been raised. A group called the Partners for Sacred Places, based in Philadelphia, has put up half of that $500,000 figure. To date, that group has provided funding for the restoration of more than 625 historic churches and chapels.

Tax credits to the tune of $650,000 may also be secured for the project from the State of Texas.

By Garry Boulard

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