Construction of Wellness Center in El Paso Will Follow Demolition of Controversial Live Theater

Plans are underway for the construction of a wellness center in El Paso that will go up on the current site of an abandoned one-time movie house.

El Paso County officials say they want to build a facility that will specialize in rehabilitation services for those who are struggling with substance addiction issues.

What is being called the Corbin Sambrano Wellness Center will also include space for victim resources and life skills education, as well as a meditation garden.

According to various sources, the project may cost as much as $29 million or so to complete, with El Paso County using previously allocated funds to pay for some of the work.

Before construction can begin at the site, located in the 6300 block of Alameda Avenue, the existing movie house will have to be demolished. That structure began operations in the fall of 1948 as the Valley Theater running first-run films for nearly two decades.

The building went through several name changes in the 1970s before becoming the Naked Harem, a strip club. Charged by state officials with being a haven for prostitution and drugs, the club was closed more than a decade ago, with the building donated to El Paso County via the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.

Last summer, members of the El Paso County Commission gave their approval to spend $500,000 to either demolish the building or contribute to the construction of a new structure.

Besides the demolition of the old movie house and theater, county officials have said that significant environmental remediation at the site, including the removal of asbestos, will have to be undertaken.

According to county documents, the Corbin Sambrano Wellness Center is envisioned as 20,000-square-foot facility, with the larger site including an amphitheater, patio, and green space.

December 3, 2024

By Garry Boulard

Photo courtesy of El Paso History Alliance

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