Is Downtown El Paso Due For More Demolition

A few more downtown El Paso buildings could be coming down soon.  Is this a good idea or not?

Downtown El Paso has seen some major changes over the last few years.  The demolition of City Hall and subsequent construction of Southwest University Park being the two most "explosive" changes.  Even though they weren't really downtown, dropping the Asarco smokestack was pretty cool to!

Back to downtown El Paso though, the changes have been working out pretty good. Downtown now offers more clubs, concert venues, restaurants and other attractions than .. arguably .. ever in it's entire history.  Downtown is thriving but, when is enough "enough"?  As more things come to downtown, we obviously need more room and a LOT of remodeling but what about the historical significance of some of these buildings. El Paso has been here a long time you know and a lot of it's history still stands.  For now.

River Oaks Properties wants to wipe out 5 buildings along San Antonio and Mesa street to build an unnamed new development and they want City Council to approve it.  Not remodel, not repaint, not "fix up" .... demolish.  An entire block!  A group of preservationists want City Council to vote against the demolition of this area and use the existing buildings for their new development.

I'm all for the new stuff coming to downtown, but I must admit; I like the "look" of downtown El Chuco as well.

Should they remodel these properties?  Or perhaps move to the edges of downtown and build there if they HAVE to have something new and shiny?  Does the archetectural history represented downtown deserve to be preserved?

What do you think??