The construction of a private theater and sports bar inside the historic Kress Building in downtown El Paso is currently in the planning stage.
The project, which would take place on the second floor of the multi-story building, will serve as a continuation of an extensive and greatly detailed renovation of the visually prominent structure launched three years ago.
Located at 110 E. Mills Avenue, the structure, which is regarded as an Art Deco wonder by architects and historians, for decades housed one of the most popular department stores in the southwest until finally ceasing operations in the 1990s.
In 2018 businessman Paul Foster put in a winning bid of $2.2 million to purchase the structure after it had fallen into a state of disrepair, before launching a comprehensive effort to upgrade it.
That work, notes the El Paso Times, has included upgrading and restoring what will now be a food hall space distinguished by its “restored historic chandeliers, terracotta Spanish-Mediterranean tile on the counter walls, and a diner counter with a soda fountain reminiscent of the original Kress counter.”
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Kress building at the time of its opening in 1938 was regarded as a classic example of the Art Deco movement that was then rooting itself in downtown El Paso, a movement El Paso Matters noted in 2021, “characterized by bright color, vertical lines, and dramatic geometric ornamentation.”
The current work on the building is centered on transforming it into an entertainment hub, with the food hall aspect expected to be populated by any number of Asian, barbeque, Mexican, and pizza vendors.
It is thought that the early renovation work on the building will be completed in November with future work, including the creation of a spa in the basement, still in the planning stage.
October 9, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Postcard of Kress Building
