El Paso High School
May 25, 2004Located at the base of the Franklin Mountains, El Paso High School is the oldest operating high school in El Paso, Texas. It is a brick and terra cotta structure consisting of a raised basement and three stories, erected in 1916 in a Classic Revival style. Above the front doors of the pediment entry to the building, an inscription reads: "A cultivated mind is the guiding genius of democracy: It is the only dictator that free men acknowledge and the only security that free men desire." -- Mirbeau B. Lamar.
Trost and Trost, a significant early 20th century El Paso architectural firm whose work was prominent throughout the southwest for many years, is credited with the innovative plan of this educational facility which combines the school building and athletic field in an integrally related design. Constructed on the northwest corner of a square city lot, the building, elegantly detailed with classical elements, forms an impressive backdrop for the athletic field which is aligned diagonally across the approximately 9.5 acre lot.
The ell plan of the school and its long, axial hallways was conducive to the efficient organization of a high school. The lunch room, auditorium, library, and administrative offices used by all the students were originally located in the central section of the building while the more specialized activities were provided for in the wings. Gymnasiums occupied each end pavilion on the ground floor allowing separate facilities for the sexes. The auditorium, administrative offices, classrooms, and student lounges were on the first floor while the second floor contained the library, study halls, locker rooms, and more classrooms. The third floor with skylights and special ventilation devices, was designed with lecture rooms and laboratories for the sciences, labs for mechanical drawing and art, and instruction in office skills and music. Originally a roof garden covered the entire building.
The high school has remained in continual use since its completion although the spatial allocations have since been modified to accommodate the changing needs of the student body. The exterior of the building and the campus layout retain their original appearance. El Paso High School, the oldest remaining and first separate high school in the city, has been in continuous use since its completion in 1916. This outstanding example of early 20th century Neo-Classicism, one of the most noteworthy examples in the state, attests the planning and aesthetic achievements of Trost and Trost.
While El Paso High School has not undergone a major renovation, the eighty-six year old school in 1995 and the school`s auditorium has since become the first Center for the Performing Arts of the El Paso Independent School System. The state-of-the-art school, which is known as the "Lady on the Hill," truly serves as a visual and physical anchor in the El Paso community.
Date of Construction: 1914 - 1916
