El Paso City Council approves looking into removing Lincoln Center artifacts

The city of El Paso will not commit financially to saving, preserving or restoring the Lincoln Center until city ownership can guarantee there is no longer a demolition threat.

In the meantime, District 7 Rep. Lily Limon requested council approve a motion to have newly-appointed City Manager Tommy Gonzalez to look into preserving property inside the building and maintaining an open dialogue with the Texas Department of Transportation.

ABC-7 asked Rep. Limon what would happen to artifacts when/if they are removed. She replied, “When you remove them you have to take care of them in the proper fashion. And then the next question, where are we going to store these things? We’ve had free storage for 8-9 years but now the reality is what are we gonna do with them, where are we gonna put them?”

TxDOT spoke with ABC-7 recently about evaluating their options. There are 13 possible scenarios calling for new ramps for the I-10/Loop 375 interchange, but they vary only in ramp height and angle. The agency said they ultimately believe the Lincoln Center would still need to come down. Once plans are finalized, they will be made available to the public.