Van Horn's former El Capitan Hotel. (original) (raw)

Architects : Trost & Trost, El Paso, Texas
Date : 1930
Style : "Pueblo Revival"

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	El Capitan Hotel c. 1930. Old postcard TE archives

	El Capitan Hotel today Photo Courtesy Jason Penney

According to the excellent Architecture in Texas 1895-1945 by Jay C. Henry, the El Capitan was perhaps the finest example of Pueblo Revival Stylein Texas. Examples are rare, and it's entirely possible that the building is the last of its kind in Texas.

In the 1920s, architecture was changing to accommodate the independent motorist. Gas stations and out-of-the-way hotels opened up where it was unthinkable just a few years earlier. Their remote locations made them full-service out of necessity, but in a few years, "tourist courts" made their appearance and then motor hotels. The two words became motel after WWII, although there are a few photographs showing the word in use as early as 1936.

The Pueblo Revival Style enjoyed greater popularity in New Mexico, than Texas. The Franciscan Hotel in Albuquerque, built by the same architects of the El Capitan was the high-water mark of this style in 1921.

While the Franciscan has been razed, another example of this style is found in Marfa. The El Paisanowas constructed by_Trost and Trost_in1926. The Paisano is still open at 207 N. Highland in Marfa, with 9 rooms for rent.

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�John Troesser
Thanks to photographer Jason Penney, we are able to show our readers the present state of the El Capitan Hotel, which is now home to Van Horn State Bank / Van Horn Office Supplies / Radio Shack.

August 2000