Preservation Texas to Open West Texas Regional Office
MARCH 1, 2023
El Paso County Awards $300,000 Grant
SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Preservation Texas announced today that the El Paso County Commissioner's Court has unanimously voted to award a grant of $300,000 over the next three years in support of a new West Texas Regional Office. A final agreement is expected to be signed later this month. Efforts to secure funding were led by West Texas board members Dr. Max Grossman and Senator Jose Rodriguez.
"West Texas offers a significant opportunity for Preservation Texas to make a positive impact on regional preservation efforts," said Grossman. "The creation of a new downtown historic district, expanded availability of tax credits, and the future restoration of Duranguito will build on recent preservation momentum in El Paso."
The West Texas Regional Office, to be based in El Paso, is expected to be staffed by the end of this year with a full-time, bilingual West Texas Program Officer, as well as an additional part-time West Texas Program Assistant. It will be the third Preservation Texas regional field office; a Central Texas office based in San Marcos opened in September 2022 and a Northeast Texas office based in Tyler was launched in January.
The West Texas office will cover a nine-county region west of the Pecos River, an area with a population of nearly one million, which will include communities such as Alpine, Fort Davis, Fort Stockton, Marathon, Marfa, Pecos, Sanderson, and Van Horn, as well as Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. "We will be reaching out to other counties and private donors for additional support," said Rodriguez. "Rural communities throughout Far West Texas will benefit greatly from this new initiative of Preservation Texas."
With a focus on El Paso County, the office will provide technical assistance and develop educational programs in support of historic preservation efforts across the region, with an emphasis on on historic downtown El Paso and the historic districts in the Mission Valley from Ysleta to San Elizario. In addition, Preservation Texas will create an architectural guidebook to West Texas, organize hands-on training programs in adobe preservation, and provide assistance in expanding the reach of important state and federal programs.
"The Board of Directors is committed to supporting preservationists at the grassroots level across Texas," said Charles John, San Antonio-based architect and president of the Board of Directors. "El Paso and West Texas is historically, architecturally, and culturally significant to our state and our nation, and we are proud to work with El Paso County on this initiative."
For more information or to contribute to the West Texas office, visit PreservationTexas.org/West.
Senator Jose Rodriguez and Dr. Max Grossman speaking at the El Paso County Commissioners Court meeting on Monday February 27th.
