A long-simmering plan to demolish the Student Union building on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso appears to be moving closer to reality with a vote by the Texas State Legislature.
The nearly 229,000-square-foot structure was designed by renowned southwestern architect Percy McGhee, whose specialty in a lengthy career was public structures, and built at a cost of $200,000 in 1949 when UTEP was called the College of the Mines.
One of the oldest structures still in use at the school, housing a variety of offices and student lounges, the Student Union Building has been marked for destruction by UTEP officials who say the upkeep on the structure has become cost prohibitive.
Altogether, it has been reported that it could cost several million dollars to take on all the deferred maintenance costs associated with the building. Students participating in a referendum last September on what to do with the building were closely divided, with 51% in favor of seeing the building leveled.
In its place, talk has centered on building a “new, modern, multipurpose” student union with extensive lounge and collaborative space, as well as a ballroom capable of accommodating up to 800 people.
Now members of the Texas State House of Representatives have given their approval to House Bill 2853 which will allow for an increase in student fees to help pay for the construction of a new student union building.
But complaints have been heard that the process is moving too quickly. In an editorial for the publication El Paso Matters, P.J. Vierra, a member of the UTEP Heritage Commission, notes that the current Student Union building is one of nine buildings constructed between World War I and 1951 that “collectively form the oldest extant university campus in Texas.”
“Their potential loss would irreparably damage the university’s distinctive character and cultural significance,” Vierra adds.
HB 2853 must still go before the Texas Senate. If approved there, it is expected that planning for the new structure could be underway by late 2026.
May 20, 2025
By Garry Boulard
