DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about El Paso High School. Now, if you've ever driven through El Paso and caught a glimpse of something up in the foothills of the Franklin Mountains — something that looks less like a school and more like a capitol building that decided to plant itself on a hillside — well, that's exactly what we're talkin' about today. El Paso High School.
The oldest existing high school building in the city. And from the moment you lay eyes on it, you get the feeling this place was built to mean something. It started in 1914.
Construction begun, ambitions high. Two years later, in 1916, the building was complete — a four-story structure that would become the first separate facility in El Paso ever constructed specifically for use as a high school. Not carved out of some other building, not sharing space with anybody.
Its own place. Its own identity. Now, behind that vision stood the architectural firm of Trost and Trost, one of the most prominent firms El Paso had to offer.
They didn't just sit down and sketch something out of thin air. They studied existing school facilities throughout the United States and then did something clever — they synthesized what they found into something altogether novel. The result was a plan that pulled the athletic field, built by J.F.
Woodward, Jr., right into the overall academic center. The field wasn't an afterthought sitting out back somewhere. It was part of the whole.
The building itself went up through the work of J.E. Morgan and the American Construction Company of Houston. And what they raised is considered one of the finest examples of the classical revival style in all of Texas.
We're talkin' intricate detailing. Elaborate columns. And a dominant central pavilion — right at the heart of it — housing the auditorium, standing like a declaration that this place takes itself seriously.
But here's where it gets interesting. Because when El Paso High was constructed, it wasn't just beautiful — it was ahead of its time. The building included a Cadet Corps Armory.
A four-bedroom apartment for domestic arts classes. A rooftop garden. Drawing rooms and laboratory areas lit by skylights.
In 1916, that wasn't standard issue. That was visionary. Situated in those Franklin Mountain foothills, the school became a landmark — not just physically, but in the life of the city.
Since 1916, it has been the alma mater of many prominent business, professional, and civic leaders of El Paso. More than a century of students have walked through those elaborately columned doors, looked out from that rooftop garden, sat beneath those skylights. And the building is still standing — the oldest existing high school building in El Paso — up on that hillside, watching over the city like it always has.
Some buildings hold history. This one shaped it.
What the marker says
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