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Original Fabens High School building constructed a century ago by iconic architect Henry Trost

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The original Fabens High School building can be seen in early black and white pictures from one hundred years ago, as it was being completed in 1925.

Used more recently by Fabens Independent School District as a storage annex building, it was designed and built by the iconic El Paso architect Henry Trost. His firm, Trost & Trost, built about 600 buildings just after the turn of the 20th century in El Paso and around the Southwest.

"This is a tremendous loss, culturally, of course, because we're talking about the most iconic architectural firm in our region," said UTEP Professor of Art History Max Grossman. He also sits on the board of Preservation Texas, a non-profit dedicated to preserving historic places in the state.

The century-old pictures from the El Paso Public Library's archive, as accessed through the University of North Texas' online Portal to Texas History, show the sparse development of the area at the time around the original Fabens High School building.

Even if you're not familiar with the name Henry Trost, you've likely seen the work his firm designed and built around our region, such as homes, high rises, and more like the Caples building, the Gateway Hotel, and Loretto Academy.

"Trost designed every kind of building you can think of and was very well known for school buildings," Grossman said. "Many of these school buildings... are in use is like Ysleta High School, Socorro High School, Tornillo High School, for example."

El Paso High School has been called one of the most beautiful high schools in the state by numerous publications. It is an example of Henry Trost's work, completed in 1916.

Gadsden high school is another example, with a construction similar in size and style to the original Fabens High School.

"My first reaction was, there goes another one," Grossman said. "There goes another Trost masterpiece. We're losing them one at a time, both in the city and in the outlying areas. And, unfortunately, that building was not yet on the National Register of Historic Places."

Grossman, who studies architecture around the world, says the lack of action locally needs to change.

"We have a general failure on the part of our local governance to list these buildings on the National Register," Grossman said, "To put markers in front of them, to safeguard them, to inform the owners of the significant importance of those buildings. And that failure is ongoing."

In a statement, Fabens Board of Trustees President Luis "Charlie" Estrada said, "The Annex was more than a building. It was a piece of Fabens’ heart and history. As a Fabenite, I know how much this loss impacts all of us. But I also know the strength of our community. Together, we will honor its legacy while continuing to build a brighter future for our students."

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Andrew J. Polk

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