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| Elevation of the Visitor's Center set for the Magoffin Home. (City of El Paso) |
The Texas Historical Commission (THC), which owns and manages the site, purchased a residential property at 1117 Magoffin Avenue in 2012 which it will renovate and turn into a Visitor’s Center. The 2,450 square foot building was constructed in 1926 and was a private residence until last year when the THC bought it, according to the latest Central Appraisal District record.
A Certificate of Appropriateness has been submitted to the Historic Landmark Commission for modifications to the structure, including sign and fence installation, landscaping, and window replacement. The former residence is in the Magoffin Home Historic District. The landscape work will extend onto an adjacent property where a parking lot will serve the historic home and Visitor’s Center. An accessibility ramp will also be constructed.
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| The Visitor's Center will be directly across the street from the Magoffin Home. (City of El Paso) |
The Magoffin Home was built in 1875 by Joseph Magoffin, one of the City’s earliest influential people, serving at different times as County Judge, Mayor, and various other public office positions. The home was opened to the public in 1977 and is one of the oldest surviving adobe structures in the El Paso area. It was closed for over a year in 2011 and 2012 to allow $1 million in renovations to take place.
The HLC will review the application at its September 23, 2013 meeting. No timeline for the project is available. More information on the Magoffin Home can be found at www.visitmagoffinhome.com.