I am pleased to announce that the Executive Director and Board of Preservation Texas is arriving in El Paso today and that we will be holding our Board meeting over the weekend.
Preservation Texas is a private, nonprofit member-supported organization dedicated to protecting the historic resources of Texas.
Former Texas State Senator Jose Rodriguez and I represent West Texas on the Board of Directors and have made arrangements for the visit, which will include a three-hour Board tour of Duranguito, the Segundo Barrio and Downtown as well as a visit to Sunset Heights, Ysleta and Socorro.
Preservation Texas has taken a strong interest in El Paso, conferring an award for the restoration of the O. T. Bassett Tower and taking an active roll in the landmarking of Rio Vista Farm in Socorro.
In 2018, Preservation Texas released the attached statement announcing the addition of Duranguito to its List of Most Endangered Places in Texas and urging the preservation of the neighborhood and its addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
Its statement came a few months after the Board of Trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington D. C., including former First Lady Laura Bush, issued a statement (attached) also supporting the preservation of Duranguito.
Here we are more than four years later, and five members of the El Paso City Council still want the neighborhood destroyed.
Have a great afternoon.
Max