El Paso County Commissioners Approve Funding For Museum’s Restoration

Members of the El Paso County Commissioners Court approved on Monday the allocation of $20,000 from the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) to complete necessary repairs to the Los Portales Museum located in San Elizario.

The court voted unanimously to approve funding for the museum’s repairs.

Commissioner Miguel A. Teran says the money will help replace the museum’s existing roof with an earthen roof that more closely matches the building’s historical style.

Teran is commissioner in charge of the precinct where the museum is located.

He also explained that the money will be used as a cash match for a Texas Preservation Trust Fund Grant from the Texas Historical Commission.

The commission is also considering other repairs to the museum, including replacing the existing beams and lighting fixtures, repairing the water damage to the interior walls of the office, reception and display areas, as well as repairing the window lintels and frames.

Los Portales Museum is also known as Casa Garcia and was built in the late 1850s as a family residence. It was later donated to be transformed into the first public school in Texas.

The museum was renovated in 2000 and currently serves as an information center operated by the San Elizario Genealogy and Historical Society.