The building has been a part of the El Chuco skyline for 85 years.  The outside will look the same, but the inside is going through some changes!

The O. T. Bassett Tower was designed by legendary architect Henry Trost, who designed many prominent El Paso area structures as well as buildings in other states.  Completed in 1930 on Texas Street, Bassett Tower was one of his last designs with Trost and Trost and is listed on the National Register Of Historic Places.

Bassett Tower in Downtown El Paso to get major renovation
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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My Dad's office was in Bassett Tower for years and I always loved wandering around in there.  All the marble and stone work as well as the overall design itself are awesome. Empty since around 2007, it's coming back to life as a trendy new hotel with, among other things:

  • An indoor pool
  • Loft rooms
  • The "W XYZ" bar
  • A 24-hour fitness center
  • A 3,000 square foot meeting area

Plus other high-tech features including a robot butler!

According to the EP Times, street level businesses will remain.  Fortunately Aloft Hotels embraces what they call "Adaptive Re-use".  I'm all for fixing up downtown but there is some classic architecture and other stuff down there that should be saved and this is a great example of reuse over rebuild(s)!

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