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Plaza Hotel (El Paso)
Encyclopedia
The Plaza Hotel, formerly the Hilton Hotel, is a landmark skyscraper
located at 106 Mills Avenue in El Paso, Texas
.
(1910-1920's) from both sides of the border.
began construction. Nineteen days later the stock market crashed and the Great Depression
began, yet construction continued. On November 30, 1930, Hilton's first highrise hotel
was opened. At 239 feet (73 m) in height it surpassed the O. T. Bassett Tower to become the tallest building in El Paso; it is still the city's third tallest building. Designed by Trost & Trost
, the Plaza is an Art Deco
styled 19-story steel-framed building with setbacks at the 16th and 17th floors. It is faced with brown brick
and concrete
and crowned with a copper
-sheathed pyramid. The exterior remains largely unaltered from its original form. Elizabeth Taylor
briefly lived in the penthouse of the hotel after she married Conrad’s son, Nicky Hilton
.
and the Anson Mills Building
. Both markers are located across Mills Avenue at El Paso Street.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located at 106 Mills Avenue in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
.
Sheldon Hotel site
The hotel was constructed on the site of the Sheldon Hotel, which burned in 1929. The Sheldon served as the unofficial headquarters for many of the participants in the Mexican RevolutionMexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
(1910-1920's) from both sides of the border.
Hilton
In the fall of 1929, Conrad HiltonConrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was an American businessman and investor. He is well known for being the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.-Early life:Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico...
began construction. Nineteen days later the stock market crashed and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
began, yet construction continued. On November 30, 1930, Hilton's first highrise hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
was opened. At 239 feet (73 m) in height it surpassed the O. T. Bassett Tower to become the tallest building in El Paso; it is still the city's third tallest building. Designed by Trost & Trost
Trost & Trost
Trost & Trost Architects & Engineers was an architecture firm based in El Paso, Texas. The firm's chief designer was Henry Charles Trost, who was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1860. Trost moved from Chicago to Tucson, Arizona in 1899 and then on to El Paso in 1903...
, the Plaza is an Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
styled 19-story steel-framed building with setbacks at the 16th and 17th floors. It is faced with brown brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
and crowned with a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
-sheathed pyramid. The exterior remains largely unaltered from its original form. Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
briefly lived in the penthouse of the hotel after she married Conrad’s son, Nicky Hilton
Conrad Hilton, Jr.
Conrad Nicholson "Nicky" Hilton, Jr. was an American socialite, hotel heir, businessman, and TWA director. He was one of the sons of Conrad Hilton .-Early life:...
.
Plaza Hotel
The hotel was sold in 1963 at which time the name changed to the Plaza Hotel. In 2008 owner Paul E. Foster announced the Plaza Hotel will undergo extensive renovations, including the adjacent Mills Building creating the Mills Plaza District.Historical Markers
Historical markers located on the Plaza Hotel include the First Kindergarten in Texas and The Woman’s Club of El Paso. Historical markers located in the vicinity of the hotel include ChinatownChinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
and the Anson Mills Building
Anson Mills Building
The Anson Mills Building is an historic building located at 303 North Oregon Street in El Paso, Texas. The Building stands on the original site of the 1832 Ponce de León ranch. Anson Mills hired Henry C. Trost of the Trost & Trost architectural firm to design and construct the building. Trost was...
. Both markers are located across Mills Avenue at El Paso Street.