preservation and rehabilitation work in historic el paso district may get federal funding

Over six hundred buildings in El Paso’s El Segundo Barrio neighborhood may now eligible for upgrading and preservation funding, as a result of a new ruling defining the boundaries of the Segundo Barrio National Historic District.

Members of the El Paso County Commission have voted unanimously to officially designate an area running from South Cotton Street on the east side, to South Santa Fe Street on the west side, as comprising two boundaries of the district.

Paisano Drive on the north side and the Border Highway on the south side make up the rest of the district’s boundaries.

Within those borders exist any number of historic one-, two-, and three-story commercial and residential structures built in the early 20th century and before.

The commission vote follows on the heels of a report earlier submitted to the county by the Austin-based preservation consulting company HHM & Associates laying out the recommended contours of the district.

The Segundo Barrio is one of the oldest neighborhoods in El Paso, with roots reaching back to the 1830s. The neighborhood saw a particular uptick in its population during the decade of the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920 when hundreds of people left Mexico and moved into the area.
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City officials say most of the Segundo Barrio’s architecturally significant structures are in need of rehabilitation and upgrading.

​By Garry Boulard

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