Preservation Texas Opens West Texas Heritage Center in El Paso

From left to right: Evan Thompson, Executive Director, Preservation Texas; Gary Williams, Senior Program Officer, El Paso Community Foundation; Max Grossman, Board of Directors, Preservation Texas; Chris Canales, District 8 Representative, City of El Paso; Victor Hurtado, West Texas Program Officer, Preservation Texas.

Above: Representatives of Preservation Texas and El Paso at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the West Texas Heritage Center.

El Paso, TX - Preservation Texas hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of the new West Texas Heritage Center at 201 E San Antonio Avenue in downtown El Paso on May 29, 2025.

Made possible in part by a grant from El Paso County, the Center will showcase rotating exhibits highlighting the unique cultural heritage of El Paso and the greater West Texas region. It will also serve as the starting point for historical tours, office and retail space, and a hub for historic preservation inquiries and heritage tourism information. “El Paso County is pleased to collaborate with Preservation Texas to preserve and promote our unique historic assets,” said County Commissioner Illiana Holguin of Precinct 3, who presides over the Mission Trail.

Preservation Texas plans to host two to three exhibits per year at the West Texas Heritage Center. The inaugural exhibit, Adobe at the Pass: Documenting the Mission Valley in 1936, is currently on display through August 30th. “Preservation Texas’ current exhibit showcases several properties along the Mission Trail,” said Commissioner Holguin. A subsequent exhibit will focus on El Paso’s high-rise architecture, featuring several iconic downtown skyscrapers. Current hours of operation are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The West Texas Heritage Center will also host public programs, including hands-on preservation workshops, lectures, and community events designed to educate and empower West Texans to safeguard their historic places.

“We are excited to establish a regional office in downtown El Paso. The Center will enable us to provide local preservation support and engage at the local level,” said Victor Hurtado, West Texas Program Officer at Preservation Texas. “As an organization, we want to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the region’s unique historic resources and provide folks with the tools and knowledge to preserve them. By being located in downtown El Paso, we hope to be a resource for preservation-related education and collaboration.”

To learn more, please visit preservationtexas.org/elpaso!

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