Downtown El Paso continues to reap the benefits of partnerships and supporters. The Central Business Association’s banner program will be gearing up once again to bring some color and art to the streets. The program, which was made possible by a grant from the El Paso Empowerment Zone Corporation and the “hands on” talent of the DMD’s Ambassador Program, will start up once again to place more banners on street lights and find new sponsors for existing ones. The artwork was provided by Bob Wingo’s group, SWG&M Advertising, which over the last year has become a Downtown business itself. The program has been stalled since last May due to equipment problems. Now all is right, and the program will be cranking up again!

A partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation’s Renaissance Committee and the DMD has made possible the installation of more than 20 park benches for Downtown as well. With a new order of benches just arriving courtesy of the foundation, El Pasoans will have more places to sit. This effort has saved the city of El Paso over $20,000!

Ambassador’s Alley
by Carl E. English, Sr.,
Downtown Ambassador

As your Downtown ambassador, I am tasked to be the eyes and ears on the ground for the Downtown Management District and Central Business Association. The Downtown Ambassador program was the vision of the association’s executive director, Michael Breitinger. I am directly responsible to the executive director to ensure all special projects, which affect central Downtown, are accomplished with a manpower pool supplied by the West Texas Community Supervision and Correction Department. This program has been in full swing since January 2003 and focuses mainly on sanitation, maintaining the historical perspective and providing an appearance and climate that will encourage tourism and Downtown shopping. The sanitation crews are on duty seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. to ensure that Downtown is as clean as possible and provides you with a safe and enjoyable shopping experience. I am available Monday through Friday and weekends for special events. I look forward to serving you in whatever capacity I may be of assistance.

Downtown Proud!
by Stephanie Bertka

As we are all aware, Downtown is the heart and soul of our community. It represents the origins of our community and the continuation of local community development and public life, so it is not surprising to meet someone who is caught by the allure of Downtown. One such person, Crystal Morton, works at the Wells Fargo building located at 221 N. Kansas. Crystal has worked for Wells Fargo Bank since 1984. Throughout the years, Morton has been witness to numerous changes in Downtown. Throughout all the significant changes that have taken place and marked history, Downtown has remained an “overlooked pearl” in her eyes.

One of the many facets attracting Morton is the great bargains to be found in Downtown. She has spent many a lunch hour taking advantage of these bargains, finding herself surrounded by a diversity that adds to the appeal of Downtown. But bargain shopping aside, it is by far the older buildings that draw her in. “I’ve always loved old buildings” says Morton. “They have so much character!”

While working on a project for an intermediate photography class at UTEP, Crystal developed a website dedicated to the beauty of Downtown www.pbase.com/fiera121/el_paso. Crystal uses the lens of a camera to capture the Downtown that many of us overlook. Included on her website are pictures of the Camino Real, Bassett Tower and the Kress Building, to name a few. Crystal says that her photography excursion has really opened her eyes to the wonders of Downtown, and she hopes to see many of the buildings renovated and preserved in the near future. Crystal represents yet another example
of the changing times for Downtown.

Downtown El Paso Is A Monument To Anson Mills
by Theresa Saenz & Juan Aleman

One of El Paso’s foremost pioneers, Anson Mills is known as the “Father of El Paso” because of his many contributions to the area.

Mills was born in Thorntown, Ind., on Aug. 31, 1834, the first of nine children. Due to his parents’ strong belief in education, they sent him off at age 6 to begin his schooling. Ten years later, Mills accepted a nomination to West Point; however, after two years, he dropped out because of low math scores.

Too embarrassed to return home, Mills traveled to the West, arriving in El Paso in 1858, a small settlement then named Franklin. It was across the river from a large, thriving town known as Paso del Norte. Soon after his arrival, the Butterfield Overland Mail Company hired Mills to build its stage offices in El Paso, the halfway point of the trail. The building, which was completed in September 1858 and is located on two acres, remained the most imposing structure in El Paso for 40 years.

On the recommendation of several acquaintances from West Point then at Fort Bliss, Mills became district surveyor. He surveyed Fort Quitman, Fort Stockton, Fort Davis and Fort Bliss for the military.
The El Paso Company, a group of prominent citizens developing the land originally known as Ponce’s Rancho, hired Mills to survey the settlement known as Franklin.

Mills noticed that the streets resembled a cow trail. Houses were built at random, and few streets were parallel or at right angles. One reason for this is that William Smith, who had purchased Ponce’s Rancho in 1854, sold property to his friends without marking boundaries, and lots were shaped irregularly. This made it impossible to straighten streets.

Mills named the principal streets for the stage lines of the Butterfield Overland Mail. St. Louis and San Antonio streets headed eastward toward those cities; San Francisco pointed west, and Santa Fe headed north. Overland Street led to the stage office.

Anson Mills is also responsible for changing the name of Franklin to El Paso. “As this was not only the north and south pass of the Rio Grande throughout the Rocky Mountains but also the feasible route from east to west crossing that river for hundreds of miles, I suggested that El Paso would indicate the importance of the location.” Mills received $150 plus the title to several lots for surveying the town.

To be continued next month…
Reprinted with permission of Borderlands, a student writing and research project of El Paso Community College, El Paso, TX 79998. Ruth E. Vise, project director and faculty editor. All rights reserved.

Rebirth Of The Main Library

With all the hustle, bustle and talk about the Downtown Master Plan and its promise of transforming our Downtown into a new and vibrant aspect of our city, let’s not fail to recognize the major redevelopments already taking shape. Recently, the Downtown Main Library completed its $9.6 million renovation, funded by Quality of Life Bonds. After more than a year, the Main Library opened to the public on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006 by hosting a gala and banquet, featuring a presentation by author Victor Villaseñor. The ground-breaking enhancements included in the library consist of a 250-seat auditorium, a Literacy and Technology Center with 50 computer stations, a new children’s section and a teen section called Teen Town. The renovation added 45,000 square feet of space, bringing the total size of the new facility to 110,000 square feet. One of the most notable aspects of the new library is experiencing a sense of being lost in the pages of a book, with the architecture designed to resemble book pages. While the sense adds a unique touch to the library, visitors can literally find themselves lost inside the pages of a book with the various new services being offered by the library.

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