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I give up. The downtown arena will not happen!

utep2step

MI Miner Maniac
Jul 10, 2001
21,419
8,971
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A Texas oil billionaire just threw his hat in the ring against the arena. Screw it! He has the power, money and influence to fight against the arena. This decades long arena battle is becoming a crabs in a bucket laugh a thon because the loser is the city. F it! With this logic, let's all move out of our houses and give the land back to the Tiguas as they make claim on every Warranty Deed filed in west Texas. Why not? They were here first!

"My hope is to encourage you to protect your historical heritage"?! Since when in God's Holy Name does some rich old coot from Houston give a shat about some boarded up buildings in downtown El Paso unless there was a return on investment?

August 13, 2017
Brenda De Anda-Swan
News Director
KVIA-TV
El Paso-Las Cruces

Dear Ms. De Anda-Swan,

My name is J.P. Bryan and I am a retired businessman living in Houston. Even though I do not live in El Paso, I have had a longstanding interest in this city and its rich history and culture. I have just learned that I have been identified as one of the people funding the various legal actions currently being pursued with respect to the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility, so I want to take this opportunity to respond.

I have been involved in historic preservation throughout Texas for several decades. While historic preservation has become a profitable and important strategy for many cities in our state, there are a number of communities which have generally neglected their precious architectural assets. The process of destruction is set into motion too frequently when city leaders ignore the value of the historical monuments in their midst and fail to achieve a healthy balance between preservation and new development. I have devoted much of my time to assisting and promoting efforts to reverse this process and to encouraging Texans to study and honor our shared architectural assets, especially those classical iconic creations of our past that can never be replicated. Sadly, El Paso has lost a number of very significant historic buildings in recent years, including two banks designed by Henry C. Trost that were demolished over the objections of the City’s own Historic Landmark Commission. This is totally destructive to the unique charm and visual harmony of one of Texas's most culturally unique cities.

Some years ago, I was encouraged by Adair Margo to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Tom Lea Institute, and I served in that capacity until recently. The Institute was created to preserve and promote the legacy of Tom Lea, a nationally recognized artist who is now deceased, and to “strengthening existing relationships with art, education, history and literary constituencies.” The preservation and promotion of Mr. Lea’s artistic accomplishments bring great credit to El Paso and those involved in that effort. I have contributed more than $200,000 to the Tom Lea Institute as well as hundreds of hours of my time.

I have also been deeply involved in the non-profit Texas Trost Society, which was established in order to promote and preserve the legacy of the Trost brothers, who designed a significant number of El Paso’s most beautiful buildings between 1903 and World War II. I own the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, which was designed by Henry C. Trost one century ago, and I have restored it to its original condition, along with many other buildings throughout the town. I am a proud member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Trost Society and currently the largest individual contributor to that organization and intend to pursue the preservation of Trost buildings and other important historic edifices wherever they are identified and as long as I am able.

When the El Paso City Council made clear its intention last October to build the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility in the neighborhood known as Durangite, I became

concerned that this project might involve razing the Trost fire house at the corner of Paisano Drive and Santa Fe Street. I soon became aware of other threatened historic buildings within the neighborhood, including the Chinese Laundry, the Mansion, and other irreplaceable Victorian-era buildings. None of these buildings has been slated for preservation in spite of a series of ambiguous statements from City leaders and, most importantly, the city has failed to agree to identify its historical assets, and this sent a most ominous signal as to their future preservation.

My education was completed, so to speak, when I learned that the City had commissioned an architectural and archeological study in 1998 that identified not only numerous historic buildings, but also confirmed that the site of Ponce de Leon’s 1827 ranch and homestead was located partially or wholly partially within Duranguito. The survey contained recommendations to preserve and protect this and other archeological treasures. Needless to say, I concluded that the study had been ignored and that the archeological remains of El Paso’s true founder would soon be obliterated. My concerns were recently confirmed when the historic preservation consultants of Hardy Heck Moore, who are conducting an architectural survey of downtown for El Paso County, preliminarily recommended that a National Register district be established in Duranguito and that seven buildings therein be added to the National Register of Historic Places. Far from celebrating these findings, the City of El Paso has ignored them completely.

I decided to provide some support the for the various legal actions under way because they are consistent with my personal preservation philosophy. I have a house in Houston but my home is Texas. I am a person who is vitally interested in preserving El Paso’s archeological and historic treasures as well as many more important edifices across our great State. I certainly demonstrated that in my 6 years of service on the Texas Historical Commission and 25 years on the board of the Texas State Historical Association. There are many ways to accommodate new development and still preserve the past. I encourage the City to adopt that philosophy because if done it will preserve not just history and a building but the soul of the city. All the citizens of El Paso will receive an enduring financial and visual benefit that will last not for a moment in time, but it will prove timeless.

I intend to continue my support for this effort along with others who share my concern but continue to hope that the City will recognize that it has what might be the greatest architectural and archeological treasures in the State, and these need to be surveyed and preserved for future generations. I urge all of you to join the effort to see El Paso’s historical patrimony as a rich asset, not an obstruction to new development.

I regret what Mayor Dee Margo says, I am certainly not an outsider trying to determine what is best for El Paso. My hope is to encourage you to protect your historical heritage. I have put my money along side my plea, having invested significant funds to that end. I am a Texan who has tried and will continue to try to preserve El Paso’s historic and archeological assets. My willingness to devote my time and money toward that goal qualifies me as a friend to El Pasoans wanting to retain for themselves and future generations the incredible array of built structures that are still intact. Additionally, I want people to know that I have worked with Max Grossman for several years and found him to be a person of the highest integrity and moral courage His work is to be admired and respected.

Respectfully yours,

J.P. Bryan

 
The arena is 100% being built because the voters approved it. Southwest University Park had the same, if not more opposition, and it's thriving. Just give it a few years and all the naysayers will be opposing other things.
 
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So this "billionaire" never spent a single penny improving Durango. He never bought a single property in it, he never renovated a single property in it. He never did anything to improve this run down neighborhood in any of the previous decades when it would have been easy for him to do so. Yet he is willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fee's to fight the city over it?
 
The arena is 100% being built because the voters approved it. Southwest University Park had the same, if not more opposition, and it's thriving. Just give it a few years and all the naysayers will be opposing other things.

But will we get an arena or a"performing acts center"? This really is a mess.
 
A Texas oil billionaire just threw his hat in the ring against the arena. Screw it! He has the power, money and influence to fight against the arena. This decades long arena battle is becoming a crabs in a bucket laugh a thon because the loser is the city. F it! With this logic, let's all move out of our houses and give the land back to the Tiguas as they make claim on every Warranty Deed filed in west Texas. Why not? They were here first!

"My hope is to encourage you to protect your historical heritage"?! Since when in God's Holy Name does some rich old coot from Houston give a shat about some boarded up buildings in downtown El Paso unless there was a return on investment?

August 13, 2017
Brenda De Anda-Swan
News Director
KVIA-TV
El Paso-Las Cruces

Dear Ms. De Anda-Swan,

My name is J.P. Bryan and I am a retired businessman living in Houston. Even though I do not live in El Paso, I have had a longstanding interest in this city and its rich history and culture. I have just learned that I have been identified as one of the people funding the various legal actions currently being pursued with respect to the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility, so I want to take this opportunity to respond.

I have been involved in historic preservation throughout Texas for several decades. While historic preservation has become a profitable and important strategy for many cities in our state, there are a number of communities which have generally neglected their precious architectural assets. The process of destruction is set into motion too frequently when city leaders ignore the value of the historical monuments in their midst and fail to achieve a healthy balance between preservation and new development. I have devoted much of my time to assisting and promoting efforts to reverse this process and to encouraging Texans to study and honor our shared architectural assets, especially those classical iconic creations of our past that can never be replicated. Sadly, El Paso has lost a number of very significant historic buildings in recent years, including two banks designed by Henry C. Trost that were demolished over the objections of the City’s own Historic Landmark Commission. This is totally destructive to the unique charm and visual harmony of one of Texas's most culturally unique cities.

Some years ago, I was encouraged by Adair Margo to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Tom Lea Institute, and I served in that capacity until recently. The Institute was created to preserve and promote the legacy of Tom Lea, a nationally recognized artist who is now deceased, and to “strengthening existing relationships with art, education, history and literary constituencies.” The preservation and promotion of Mr. Lea’s artistic accomplishments bring great credit to El Paso and those involved in that effort. I have contributed more than $200,000 to the Tom Lea Institute as well as hundreds of hours of my time.

I have also been deeply involved in the non-profit Texas Trost Society, which was established in order to promote and preserve the legacy of the Trost brothers, who designed a significant number of El Paso’s most beautiful buildings between 1903 and World War II. I own the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, which was designed by Henry C. Trost one century ago, and I have restored it to its original condition, along with many other buildings throughout the town. I am a proud member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Trost Society and currently the largest individual contributor to that organization and intend to pursue the preservation of Trost buildings and other important historic edifices wherever they are identified and as long as I am able.

When the El Paso City Council made clear its intention last October to build the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility in the neighborhood known as Durangite, I became

concerned that this project might involve razing the Trost fire house at the corner of Paisano Drive and Santa Fe Street. I soon became aware of other threatened historic buildings within the neighborhood, including the Chinese Laundry, the Mansion, and other irreplaceable Victorian-era buildings. None of these buildings has been slated for preservation in spite of a series of ambiguous statements from City leaders and, most importantly, the city has failed to agree to identify its historical assets, and this sent a most ominous signal as to their future preservation.

My education was completed, so to speak, when I learned that the City had commissioned an architectural and archeological study in 1998 that identified not only numerous historic buildings, but also confirmed that the site of Ponce de Leon’s 1827 ranch and homestead was located partially or wholly partially within Duranguito. The survey contained recommendations to preserve and protect this and other archeological treasures. Needless to say, I concluded that the study had been ignored and that the archeological remains of El Paso’s true founder would soon be obliterated. My concerns were recently confirmed when the historic preservation consultants of Hardy Heck Moore, who are conducting an architectural survey of downtown for El Paso County, preliminarily recommended that a National Register district be established in Duranguito and that seven buildings therein be added to the National Register of Historic Places. Far from celebrating these findings, the City of El Paso has ignored them completely.

I decided to provide some support the for the various legal actions under way because they are consistent with my personal preservation philosophy. I have a house in Houston but my home is Texas. I am a person who is vitally interested in preserving El Paso’s archeological and historic treasures as well as many more important edifices across our great State. I certainly demonstrated that in my 6 years of service on the Texas Historical Commission and 25 years on the board of the Texas State Historical Association. There are many ways to accommodate new development and still preserve the past. I encourage the City to adopt that philosophy because if done it will preserve not just history and a building but the soul of the city. All the citizens of El Paso will receive an enduring financial and visual benefit that will last not for a moment in time, but it will prove timeless.

I intend to continue my support for this effort along with others who share my concern but continue to hope that the City will recognize that it has what might be the greatest architectural and archeological treasures in the State, and these need to be surveyed and preserved for future generations. I urge all of you to join the effort to see El Paso’s historical patrimony as a rich asset, not an obstruction to new development.

I regret what Mayor Dee Margo says, I am certainly not an outsider trying to determine what is best for El Paso. My hope is to encourage you to protect your historical heritage. I have put my money along side my plea, having invested significant funds to that end. I am a Texan who has tried and will continue to try to preserve El Paso’s historic and archeological assets. My willingness to devote my time and money toward that goal qualifies me as a friend to El Pasoans wanting to retain for themselves and future generations the incredible array of built structures that are still intact. Additionally, I want people to know that I have worked with Max Grossman for several years and found him to be a person of the highest integrity and moral courage His work is to be admired and respected.

Respectfully yours,

J.P. Bryan

Don't give up -- might need your vote again.
 
This is old news. He is only involved because he wanted the firestation preserved due to the famous architect who designed it. This guy has no bearing on whether the arena is built or not.
 
I keep reading in multiple places(including the article posted here) how this neighborhood was once possibly the original location of one of the first ranches in El Paso. A ranch that was apparently owned by Ponce de Leon(not the famous Ponce de Leon that everybody knows, but an El Pasoan named Juan Maria Ponce de Leon who lived a few hundred years later). But my question is this, how does saving these run down buildings have any relationship to saving that ranch? These buildings and this neighborhood were built over that ranch a long time ago. These buildings are currently doing absolutely nothing to feature that location as once being a historical ranch. I just don't understand how saving these buildings has any relationship to the area once being a ranch, yet it keeps being reported like it is important. In fact, you could probably incorporate the past history of that area once being a ranch, as a part of the new arena design, a lot better than anything that these current low income apartments and warehouses are doing.
 
If there is any risk that the arena won't be able to host sports then the city should just bite the bullit, put it back to a vote with the correct wording and build it in another location downtown. I don't care about money lost. The money to be made by hosting a variety of events and the opportunity for better quality will outweigh it IMO.

Also, it has been released that Mountainstar is looking to build a soccer stadium downtown too.
 
My bigger curiosity related to all of this is where were all of these opponents that don't even live in the neighborhood for the last several decades. Why hasn't there been an effort to restore the area previously? Why weren't they trying to give the neighborhood historic status over the last quarter century? We have them all over El Paso, so it's not like it was impossible to achieve.

Lastly, what do they plan to do if they actually don't build the arena here? All the land is privately owned and all the residents have been moved out, and it's not like they can force private land owners to take people back in. All they're really doing is ensuring that the area becomes more desolate than it already was, and more rundown than it currently is.
 
Things are starting to get ugly. Protesters now clashing with police. All this over old abandoned buildings with no historical value. Only in El
Paso.
 
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He city really does itself no favors by damaging buildings even though there is a court order.
 
I would bet money the city had nothing to do with it. The property owner won't get paid if the buildings don't go down. If you read the court order, I don't think you will see the property owners in it, just the city. Can you say loophole?
 
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I'm sick and tired of these naysayers always impeding progress. Nothing is ever easy in El Paso! The majority in this city voted for the arena. This is a great project for the city that will generate jobs and money. There are many historic buildings in the city that are owned by a few dead beat slum lords. These buildings are falling apart because they won't fix them nor sell them to others who can fix them. El Paso has beautiful architecture but the city needs to enforce its building codes and fine these losers. Let's hope people like Foster and other rich invesrtors acquire these properties and keep the momentum going.
 
Instead of the trouble and delays that these protestors are causing, wouldn't it be better for all of these people to go spend their time and money coming up with a plan and a usage for the Lincoln Center, including how they are going to remove all of the hazardous asbestos from it, instead of saving more buildings that they have no realistic plans for? It has been two years they saved the Lincoln Center and there has been no movement or effort put into it since it was saved. I don't think there is even a social media account with a plan for it. While the Lincoln Center should have been torn down, at least the case can be made that it had more of a historical signifigance than any building located in Durango. Why don't these people take their efforts and money and actually do something.....anything......for the building that they already saved.

Additionally, KTSM said that there was roughly 60 protestors today. KTSM stated that there were almost as many Police Officers(55) as protestors. These protestors announced on all of their social media that they were going to march to city hall at 12:00pm. They begged everybody to come down to help them. Apparently they canceled their march because only 60 people showed up, yet the media won't report that. I hate that this small group of protestors gets covered on the evening news casts as if they are a large percentage.

BTW, there is a Mountain Star website in support of the arena. I saw it briefly earlier today but can't find it. Does anybody have the website? It was something like ISupportArenaEP.com or something like that.
 
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