El Paso Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), El Paso

San Jacinto Plaza is a historic park located on the corner of Oregon and Mills in the heart of Downtown El Paso, Texas. The city of El Paso acquired the property on which the Plaza is located in 1881 and created a park. By 1883, the park was surrounded by a fence, a walled pond was created, a gazebo was erected, 75 Chinese Elm trees were planted and then three alligators were introduced into the pond.

The alligators were the central attraction and thrived. At one time the pond contained as many as seven of the reptiles. Many people still fondly refer to the plaza as “La Plaza de los Lagartos,” or Alligator Plaza. Today, a fiberglass sculpture by nationally acclaimed local artist Luis Jiménez honors the original alligators.

Since 1954, the traditional lighting of the city christmas tree in the Plaza has officially begun the Christmas season in El Paso. Today the plaza is a transportation center, and volumes of people remain seated on benches almost daily. Friends gather to eat and socialize.

Cortez Building is a magnificent structure built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style specific to the 1920s; its main designer was Henry C. Trost. It first opened its doors to customers in September 1926. Throughout its existence the building was used for several purposes, such as hotel and office building. It obtained its name through a contest, which took place in 1935; it was proposed that the building would commemorate the Spanish conquistador, Hernando Cortez.

The foundation stone of Saint Clement's Church was laid in 1907. It was skillfully constructed in the Neo-Gothic style and adorned with stained glass windows which bring out the church's unusual beauty. At Saint Clement's Church there are three days dedicated to services; these are on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Everybody who wants to join the path which leads to Jesus Christ is welcome at Saint Clement's.

Sunset Heights is a historic area in El Paso, Texas, which has existed since the latter part of the 1890s. Many wealthy residents have had their houses and mansions built on this hill. Some buildings in Sunset Heights have remnants of tunnels underneath them which may have been started in the early 1900s. Some tunnels, including ones found under El Paso High School, may have been used to smuggle Chinese workers who were banned from the United States because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. One of the best-known tunnels is underneath the Turtle House in Sunset Heights. Because of the historic designation of the neighborhood, residents must adhere to a building code. Blocks in the neighborhood are of different shapes. Houses are designed in various styles including American Foursquare, Tudor Revival, Classical Revival, Queen Anne and Spanish Colonial Revival.

The Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso. It is located at 1118 N. Mesa Saint in the heart of the downtown area. This seat is vacant as the previous bishop, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Armando Xavier Ochoa, was named as prelate of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, California on 1 December, 2011. The cathedral is the mother church for 656,000 Catholics in the diocese, and also operates one of El Paso's Catholic high schools, Cathedral High School, and Saint Patrick Elementary School adjacent to the church.

The church was designed by Barnett, Haynes & Barnett, an architectural firm from Saint Louis, Missouri. It was built in the form of a Byzantine basilica, in the Italian Renaissance style. The ground was broken on 8 April 1914 and the church and the cornerstone were blessed in a ceremony by Fr Edward Barry on 12 November 1916. The interior of the cathedral is adorned with Roman columns, elaborate frescoes that depict biblical scenes and the Stations of the Cross are carved in bas-relief on the interior walls.

The El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center is located at 715 N. Oregon in the city and county of El Paso. The museum was founded in 1994 by Nazi Holocaust survivor Henry Kellen. It was established to educate the public about the Third Reich, the concentration camps and resistance movements during World War II. Funding for the museum is provided through donations and grants.

El Paso Museum of History opened to the public in 1974, under the title of the Cavalry Museum. It was soon given a greater scope and achieved the status of history museum. Today, the museum displays collections of shawls, fans, typewriters, among other items, with some of the items dating from the arrival of the Spanish. Within the 13,000 sq ft space, besides the many exhibit rooms, there is also a lecture area. Admission is free.

Vaquero Statue is a colorful work of art placed right at the entrance to the El Paso Museum of Art, a little treat at the beginning of your visit. It is one of the many marvelous creations of Luis Jimene, a successful artist born in El Paso. Begun in 1987 and completed in 1988, the 20 ft tall fiberglass sculpture, representing a cowboy on a horse, is an important element of Mexican cultural heritage.

Hotel Paso del Norte is a historic hotel located in El Paso less than one mile north from the international border with Mexico. The hotel was designed by Trost & Trost and opened in 1912. The hotel was extensively remodeled in 2004 and renamed the Camino Real Hotel. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1979. Some of the notable people who stayed at the hotel include Gloria Swanson, General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, General Alvaro Obregon, John Reed (journalist), Will Rogers, Enrico Caruso, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, the then Vice President Richard Nixon.

On February 1, 1971, the hotel was sold by the daughter of Zach White to the T. G. K. Investment Company. The Paso del Norte Hotel Corporation acquired the hotel in February 1975 and then transferred ownership to Z. W. Limited. The Paso del Norte Hotel Corporation remains as a general partner of Z. W. Limited. A 17-story addition was constructed in 1986 on the north side of the hotel. The hotel now has 359 rooms and is still in use. The hotel is currently owned by Camino Real Hotels.

The Palace Theater is a lovely structure built in the Moorish style in 1914; its architect was Henry Charles Trost. At the beginning it was known as the Alhambra Theater. Unfortunately it was closed after years of showing movies to the locals. Today, its interior has been altered because it is now a night club, but the exterior still keeps its architectural charm.

El Paso’s original shopping district has long been the heart and center of downtown activity and is reflected in the designation of El Centro. The face of El Centro is El Paso Street, with its rich history, thriving culture and shops, it stretches all the way to the border. Open-air market style shops line the streets of El Centro. The district hugs the border of Mexico as if old friends, co-existing for over 150 years. Cultures have blended in the district, bringing Lebanese, Korean and Mexican immigrants together, amongst others, to create a multi-cultural American atmosphere that makes itself known in the sights, sounds, and scents of El Centro.