El Paso High School
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The oldest existing high school building in El Paso, this four-story structure was also the first separate facility in the city constructed for use as a high school. Begun in 1914, it was completed two years later. The prominent El Paso architectural firm of Trost and Trost designed the building, utilizing ideas from existing school facilities throughout the United States. The result was a novel plan that incorporated the athletic field, which was built by J.F. Woodward, Jr., into the overall academic center. One of the finest examples of the classical revival style in Texas, the El Paso High School was built by J.E. Morgan and by the American Construction Company of Houston. The structure features intricate detailing, elaborate columns and a dominant central pavilion that houses the auditorium. When the school was constructed, it included such innovative ideas as a Cadet Corps Armory, a four-bedroom apartment for the domestic arts classes, a rooftop garden, and drawing rooms and laboratory areas with skylights. Situated in the foothills of the Franklin Mountains, El Paso High School is a landmark in the city. Since 1916, it has been the alma mater of many prominent business, professional and civic leaders. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2015
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1916, El Paso High School was the city's first purpose-built high school and remains its oldest surviving one. The noted firm Trost and Trost designed a classical-revival landmark in the foothills of the Franklin Mountains, folding the athletic field into the academic plan and adding then-novel touches like a rooftop garden, a cadet armory, and skylit laboratories.
Why it matters
The building reflects the Progressive Era's faith in the modern public high school as an engine of civic advancement, a movement that reshaped American education in the early 20th century.
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Nearby & related markers
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