El Paisano Hotel
Marfa, Presidio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for the nearby Paisano Mountain pass, this structure was completed in 1930. Gateway Hotel Company, owners of several area hotels, built it in anticipation of a local oil boom that never materialized. The architectural firm Trost and Trost of El Paso designed the building. Constructed around a central courtyard area, the structure reflects Spanish Baroque styling. It was considered to be the finest hotel between El Paso and San Antonio. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1979.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1930 and named for the nearby Paisano pass, this Marfa landmark was built by the Gateway Hotel Company in hopeful anticipation of an oil boom that never came. Designed by the noted El Paso firm Trost and Trost around a central courtyard in Spanish Baroque style, it was reckoned the finest hotel between El Paso and San Antonio. Its grandeur outlasted the boom that inspired it.
Why it matters
El Paisano stands as a handsome emblem of Depression-era West Texas optimism and the enduring architectural ambition of the Trost firm across the region.
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Related people
- · Trost and Trost
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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