The Alamo Elementary School, at 500 S. Hills Street in El Paso, was originally opened as the Second Ward School in 1899 and stands today at 121 years old.
The building, designed by architect Edward Kneezell, is a red brick masonry structure on a cut rock foundation. It was erected in a Romanesque Revival - Italianate eclectic mix, dominated by an entire herd of arched windows and four foot overhanging Italianate eaves, supported by wooden brackets. A "mission" (imitation Mission?) parapet was added in later years that detracts from the original design. There have been additions built in on both sides of the structure that have matching bricks, which may indicate when the parapet was added.
The building is two stories in height, and the only old image I was able to find at the EPISD website seems to indicate that there was (and possibly still is) a basement. The prettiest part of the building was the southern end, which had an interesting "keyhole" arched window top center, and a set of oddly offset windows close to the southeast corner that gave the building an interesting flavor. However, the addition referenced above destroyed that perspective.
The school continually operated from the building's completion until 2007 when it was closed "temporarily" to be remodeled, using funds from a 2007 Bond Issue. However, no work was done at the property and it sits deteriorating and vacant to this day. The "CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS AGENDA ITEM DEPARTMENT HEAD’S SUMMARY FORM" from 2010 states that they are attempting to change the zoning of the building from A3 (Apartment) to A3/H (Apartment/Historic) in an effort to preserve the structure.
Although boarded up and run down, the building still carries its character and beauty. As El Paso's longest standing public school building, I am hoping the best for its future.
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| El Paso Independent School District |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 8/18/2020 |
