Building and design requirements pertaining to the future development of one of the oldest sections of El Paso are now part of a public document.
Anchored by the nearly 120-year-old El Paso Union Depot, the Union Plaza is already the home to a thriving farmer’s market, as well as a number of restaurants, bars, and art galleries.
Existing structures in the area are classic of the kind of construction and architecture prevalent during the first two decades of the 20th century, with many of the buildings made of brick and cut stone and cast iron used for arches and lintels.
A new document called Architectural & Design Guidelines—Union Plaza lists recommendations for site development, building form, and architectural character in putting up new structures in the area.
Referencing the Union Depot, which was designed by noted architect Daniel Burnham and is located at 700 San Francisco Street, the document states that “for the sake of design unity and identification,” all future renovation and construction should be enacted using the building as a kind of anesthetic guideline.
The document also states that in the building of new mixed-use projects, “residential uses shall not occupy the ground floor,” with the building itself oriented to the street.
Asserting that elements such as covered entrances, display windows, and roof lines contribute to the sense of a larger urban environment, the document adds: “New construction and additions should maintain and reinforce the existing pattern and contribute contextually through proportional height and massing.”
In keeping with the early 20th century feel “period lighting should be installed on all sidewalks, alleys, open spaces and building facades,” with neon lighting and fiber optics used as logos and signs permitted on building fronts.
According to the publication El Paso Matters, the first reading of an ordinance change governing the district also allows for the “construction of a larger variety of businesses, including a multipurpose center and an arena,” although whether such a facility will ever be built in the vicinity remains a contentious issue.
The Union Plaza includes the Duranguito neighborhood, which had earlier been pegged for the building of that arena, a proposal that was subsequently challenged in court. The City has since abandoned that plan and recently announced that it wanted to sell 18 properties it had earlier purchased to make way for the project.
By Garry Boulard
