Plaza Hotel renovations to begin January 2018
Renovations on one of El Paso’s most visible, historic landmarks are set to begin in less than a month.
The Plaza Hotel, which is owned by El Paso businessman Paul Foster, was built in 1930. The building has not served as a hotel since 1990.
That will all change once the renovations are complete.
“Over the years, much of the historic fabric was removed by prior owners and whatnot, what you see left, we’re certainly going to restore that. On the outside, the hotel is pretty much in its original condition,” said William Kell, vice president of Franklin Mountain Management.
Foster has owned the building since 2008. The renovations are starting in 2018, in large part due to the growth of downtown El Paso.
“You’re seeing a lot of momentum in the downtown area,” Kell said. “The hotel is being restored to its historic nature and character. That’s a requirement when you use historic tax credits, you have to do that.”
Kell said the group is receiving federal, state, city and county tax incentives to help pay for the renovations.
As part of the group’s agreement with the City of El Paso, it must spend at least $78 million. The renovations are expected to be done in the spring of 2019.
“It’s something we could never replace by building a modern building. It is much easier to build a modern building, but what we have here as a starting point — with this historic structure — is something that no amount of money can replace,” principal architect William Helm said.
The Plaza Hotel was first owned by Conrad Hilton, during the Great Depression-era. In the 1950s, actress Elizabeth Taylor stayed at the hotel when she starred in the movie “Giant.”
Originally, there were plans to combine residential condos into the hotels renovations, but that plan has since been scrapped.
“As we looked at combining residential with the hotel, it really didn’t work in a building this size,” Kell said. “It was a little too small. When you combine residential and hotels, the logistics get very complicated.”
