Dear Media,
I can now confirm that the wooden roof and floors of 324 S. El Paso St. have collapsed but the load-bearing brick walls are standing to their full height, as are the iron structural supports in the center of the building at ground level. The 1885 building suffered the same type of damage as the De Soto Hotel, which burned on February 4, and it can certainly be repaired.
KFOX 14 is reporting that the fire yesterday morning began in a dumpster behind the building, but I seriously doubt that is the case. In the attached photo of the alley you can see the east-facing brick wall of the building and it is hard to imagine that a dumpster fire penetrated through it, although it may possibly have penetrated through the door.
As I feared, the 1883 “Holland’s Building” was damaged in the fire. You can see two broken windows in the upper floor with a fire hose running inside.
The three attached photos were shot by Clay Barron and I can send others upon request.
Enjoy your day,
Max
Max Grossman, PhD
Board of Directors, Preservation Texas
