Mulligan Building Sparkles as Renovation Nears End

Crews Complete Work on Historic Building’s Exterior

Less than one year after El Paso’s former City Hall was demolished to make way for a Triple-A baseball stadium, renovation work is nearing completion on a 73,000 square foot building that will house some of the City’s departments.

The Mulligan Building’s newly renovated façade is illuminated on a recent morning in Downtown El Paso. (In*Situ Architecture)

The Mulligan Building has undergone an impressive $13.7 million rehabilitation that will make it ready for both the Information Technology and the Engineering & Construction Management departments of the City of El Paso.

Weekly Edition, Issue 45

The Weekly Edition, Issue 45 has arrived! Take a look at the newest issue of our Weekly Edition, by clicking HERE. (Note: The newsletter will open in PDF format.)

In this edition:

• Mulligan Building Sparkles as Renovation Nears End: Crews Complete Work on Historic Building's Exterior
• San Jacinto Plaza's Next Phase of Construction to Begin: Goundbreaking to be Held this Week
• Ballpark Crews Begin Work on Baseball Playing Field: Lighting Fixture Installation is Now Complete

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Mulligan Building Nears Completion

Updated look at the storefronts along
N. Campbell Street at the Mulligan
Bldg. (In*Situ Architecture)

Storefronts along the ground floor of the Mulligan Building in Downtown El Paso have been fitted with doors and windows, as seen in a photo posted at the Facebook page of firm In*Situ Architecture, facebook.com/InSituArchitecture.

The five-story building will provide 73,000 square feet to the City of El Paso to be used by the Information Technology and Engineering & Construction Management departments.

The $13.7 million project is part of the City’s decision last year to vacate the former City Hall in order to make room for the Triple-A baseball stadium scheduled to open this year. The building was donated to the City by local businessman Paul Foster.

A look at the interior of the Mulligan Building, which is nearing completion in Downtown El Paso. (In*Situ Architecture)

The rehabilitation project has restored many of the building’s historic features which were covered up for decades by a beige façade. The project is scheduled for completion within the next few months.

Officials to Study Need for Downtown Parking Structure

Editor's Note: This story was first published at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, November 11, 2013 in our Weekly Edition. 

The City of El Paso is teaming up with the Downtown Management District and the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) to fund a study that would assess the need for a new parking facility in Downtown.

This image shows a concept parking structure encased by liner buildings that could be used for housing, office, or retail, from the Design Manual of Plan El Paso.

The three parties will contribute $20,000 each toward the study for a total of $60,000. The area of focus will be near the new City Hall.

The CRRMA will manage the development of the study and will most likely award the contract to Atkins North America, Inc., the General Engineering Consultant for the Authority. The study should be completed within one year of the agreement’s start date.

Luther Building Gets Additional $4.5M Injection

City Transfers Money to Project

The El Paso City Council voted today to approve an additional $4.5 million for the Luther Building project in downtown. The 62,000 square foot building is currently undergoing renovations to make room for City offices.

Rendering of what the Luther Building will look like once completed. (www.insituarc.com)

A majority of the money, $3.3 million will come from the Bus Rapid Transit System's Montana corridor project which has been delayed by at least one year due to federal funding cuts. The money would have been the City's funding match, which it expects will now be pushed back to summer of 2016 at earliest.

The building's condition prior to
renovation work beginning.
(www.elpasotexas.gov)

The other $1.2 million will come from surplus funds from City projects that have already been completed. In all, the budget for the Luther Building is $13.4 million. Once complete, it will house the City's Information Technology and Engineering & Construction Management departments.

Downtown Update: United Bank, Luther Building Make Strides

Two major construction projects in downtown El Paso are just one block apart, and work on both is apparent while maneuvering orange barrels on North Campbell Street.

The first, United Bank of El Paso del Norte, is well along on its way to becoming an office building. The structure, located at 401 E. Main, began life as a parking garage several years ago but was purchased by the local bank in order to create a new office structure downtown.

The façade on the new United Bank building is nearly complete. Decorative wrought iron highlights the arches.

The original garage structure has all but disappeared beneath a new façade structure. And a bell tower at the buildings southeast corner has become an easily identifiable feature that can be seen from Interstate 10.

United Bank tower.

The first floor of the building will become United Bank's downtown location, while the second and third floors will remain parking levels. A fourth and fifth floor have been added and will become office space. The resulting 92,000 square foot building is of Spanish Colonial design.

Large arches now line the front of the building featuring impressive wrought iron work that mostly hide the parking area within the structure. Sizeable suspended awnings hang over storefronts at street level. The new façade varies little from the original design with just a few changes to windows on the upper levels.

Construction continues on the City’s Luther Building just one block to the south. Workers have stripped much of the blighted industrial façade to reveal the original brickwork underneath.

History Made: Asarco Smokestacks, Former City Hall Demolished

Events went largely as planned this past weekend as the dormant Asarco smokestacks and the former City Hall building were demolished on consecutive mornings in El Paso.

The former City Hall building took only 10 seconds to be demolished.

Saturday morning saw the towering Asarco stacks fall over like chopped-down trees as explosives helped fell the historic columns. Spectators gathered in parking lots around UTEP and on the sides of surrounding streets, though Interstate 10 and Paisano Drive were closed for the event. The boom of dynamite at each column’s base signaled the coming fall, and in seconds both stacks were gone.

A slight breeze brought dust from the demolition over I-10 and may have been more than expected; the freeway remained closed for over two hours total, longer than planned and causing expected congestion on Mesa Street due to diverted traffic. Otherwise, the mostly calm morning air helped to keep the dust near to the ground, and officials could have hardly received more cooperative weather.

Winds were stronger during City Hall’s demolition on Sunday, though officials had previously stated that wind strength would not be a factor in their decision to proceed. Precisely at 9:00 a.m., explosives brought down the building in a matter of seconds. The northern half of the structure went first, and helped pull down the southern section, most likely in order to pull the southern facing wall away from the nearby railroad trench.

Dust from City Hall's implosion took over downtown as winds blew it towards the east.

Clouds of dust quickly drifted eastward as breezy conditions turned windy, engulfing downtown’s highrises in an eerie haze. Unlike the Asarco aftermath, piles of rubble many feet high could be seen after City Hall’s implosion. Officials stated that cleanup would begin immediately.

City Flyer Highlights New Department Locations

The former City Hall building has been vacated for weeks now in anticipation of demolition to make room for the upcoming Triple-A ballpark. And now officials have mailed out a flyer to let residents know where City offices can be found.

Though most departments have been moved to the new City Hall at 300 N. Campbell Street, several have been placed in temporary offices in and around downtown including the O’Rourke Center, the Tillman Center, and the Union Plaza Transit Terminal pending the renovation of the Luther Building and the 811 Texas building. The renovations are scheduled for completion in Fall of 2013.

The new flyer can be found at the City’s home page, www.elpasotexas.gov.

Info: (915) 541-4000.

'Demolition Weekend' Nears

Time’s Up for Asarco Stacks and City Hall 

Two enormous demolition events will occupy El Paso’s coming weekend as both the Asarco smokestacks and the former City Hall building are levelled. And authorities are asking residents to stay home and watch the events unfold on television.

Asarco No More

Asarco is first in line. The massive columns at the former copper smelting site will be knocked over like falling trees in the early morning of April 13, 2013, between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. Diagrams of the “fall zones” show that the stacks will tumble in an easterly direction into predetermined footprints. Berms made of piles of earth will help block dust from travelling laterally and raised sprinkler systems will also try and hold dust close to the ground. The taller chimney stands 828 feet tall, approximately as tall as a 70 to 80 story building.

Smokestack fall zones are shown as red-striped areas in this diagram.

Traffic along Interstate 10 and Paisano Drive will be closed 15 minutes before the event. I-10 could reopen as soon as 15 minutes after the smokestacks fall, but Paisano could stay closed for three additional hours.

The demolition of the stacks is part of a much larger site remediation project, headed by Project Navigator’s Roberto Puga, trustee for the site. Puga hopes to have all remediation completed by 2016 in order to eventually sell the property to a developer. According to the Trust, the explosive demolition will be conducted under the direction of Brandenburg Industrial Service Company of Illinois and Dykon Explosive Demolition Corporation of Oklahoma.

See Newest Downtown Ballpark Designs

The El Paso City Council received a presentation at its March 5, 2013, meeting showing the latest design concepts for the upcoming Downtown baseball stadium. Populous Inc., the firm in charge of the design, revealed various perspectives of the park in its presentation.

Concourse level views within the stadium.

The overall layout of the park has remained consistent since earlier drafts were revealed months ago. Home plate will sit in the southwestern corner of the plot while the outfield will run along Missouri Avenue and Santa Fe Street.

Though still in the concept stage, the architecture of the stadium will be reflective of nearby Union Plaza, particularly the Union Depot train station to the west. The red brick facade is clear in the design, especially in the image showing the view from Durango Street on the stadium's west side.

The western entrance and team store on Durango Street.

The view from behind home plate is clearly a highlight in another image, showing panoramic views of Downtown El Paso and the Franklin Mountains to the northeast.

View from behind home plate.

The eastern entrance to the park is situated beneath two grandstand towers that may house a team store, party decks, and a rooftop patio. It will be located where Franklin Avenue ends at Santa Fe Street.

The eastern entrance along Santa Fe Street.

Other proposed amenities for the park include a 360 degree concourse, a play area for children, and a grassy seating area in homerun territory. A pedestrian ramp and an extended concourse may span the depressed train tracks on the southern edge of the property.

Current plans have the demolition of City Hall, the future site of the ballpark, set for early April.

Previously:
Ballpark Concept Videos Added to City's Website

City Council presentation (PDF): http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/03-05-13/03051307.pdf

Luther Bldg Update to Include Improved Facade, Storefronts

The Luther Building will soon serve a role in the City's effort to empty the current City Hall to make way for a baseball stadium, and new images show that the aging building may look very different in the coming months.

Proposed Luther Building Improvements

Concept drawings at the architect's website show a facade improvements include larger, more interesting windows, and a focus on giving the exterior a different character. It's a clear move away from the building's current utilitarian look. A series of horizontal and vertical lines help break up the current monotony.

The ground floor's current windowless walls will be replaced with storefront-style doors and windows, and street trees will line both Campbell Street and Mills Avenue. Awnings will shade the first level.

In*Situ Architecture's Luther Building page states that the project is currently in the "Building Shell phase" and will eventually house the City's IT Department. Paul Foster donated the 62,400 square foot building to the City in September 2012.

Previously:
Ballpark Update: Paul Foster May Donate Luther Building
City to Buy Texas Ave Bldgs, Revamp Luther Bldg

In*Situ project page: http://www.insituarc.com/current-projects/mulligan-luther-building/

Ballpark Concept Videos Added to City's Website

The City of El Paso has added two short videos to its Downtown Ballpark page showing conceptual views from within and above the proposed stadium. Additional details have also been added, such as the firms selected so far to assist the City in constructing the stadium that will house El Paso's Triple-A baseball team.

View looking west from the Santa Fe Street side of the stadium.

The videos allow a closer look at the conceptual images already released by Populous Inc., the project's principal architect. The first video offers a field-level perspective, beginning at the eastern edge of the field underneath the planned grandstand, travelling to the middle of the park, and turning clockwise to offer a 360 degree view of the stadium.

Eastward view overlooking the outfield.

The second video provides a bird's eye view of the park, swooping around the perimeter for a complete look from outside the walls. This perspective offers a look at previously mentioned amenities, including a grassy seating area in the outfield, a "party zone" located in the outer grandstand, and multiple access points for fans to use.

Firms listed as involved in the project include:

• Populous, Inc. (Kansas City, MO) - Principal Architect
• MNK Architects (El Paso, TX) - Local Architect /LEED Accredited Professional
• W. P. Moore (El Paso, TX) - Civil, Traffic, Structural
• Robert Navarro (El Paso, TX) - Structural
• Henderson Engineering (Lenexa, KS) – Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing
• Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon &Williams (Dallas, TX) – Audio/Visual
• Ovations (Pleasanton, CA) - Food Service
• Dover, Kohl & Partners (Coral Gables, FL) – Design

The 8,000-9,000 seat stadium's initial design seems to take cues from nearby Union Plaza where old brick buildings have been recently renovated by local entrepreneurs. The City has expressed a desire to reflect El Paso's history in the stadium's look and feel.

View of the stadium seating areas and home plate.

The City approved a contract with Populous at its November 27, 2012 meeting for the firm to complete the design work and oversee construction of the ballpark. The City and MountainStar Sports Group hope to have construction completed by April of 2014.

Previously: Triple-A Club, Ballpark Debut New Website

City's Ballpark Page: http://home.elpasotexas.gov/ballpark/

City to Buy Texas Ave Bldgs, Revamp Luther Bldg

City Council may vote next week to finalize the purchase of two buildings at 801 and 811 Texas Avenue in downtown El Paso in order to continue with the relocation of City offices. Additionally, the Council will consider allocating funds to renovating the donated Luther Building for more space, all in hopes of vacating the current City Hall site to make way for an upcoming Triple-A baseball stadium.

801 Texas Avenue Building

Two items on the Council's agenda relate to the purchase of the Texas Avenue buildings, which will house the City Development Department. The first item is to approve the purchase of the building for $2.3 million, while the second item will move to select Mijares Mora Architects for the rehabilitation of the building to modern standards. The main building and the annex contain a combined 68,000 square feet of space.

The City also hopes to approve expenditures of $8.86 million to renovate the Luther Building at 300 N. Campbell which was donated to the City by Paul Foster. According to the agenda item, money will be used which was previously allocated to other projects but which is now available because the projects are not proceeding, have been completed, or have been funded through other programs. The City may choose In*Situ Architecture of El Paso as the architect on this project on a separate agenda item.

There is no agenda item to purchase the El Paso Times building as the City had previously considered doing. It is unclear if the City has scrapped that plan in favor of rehabilitating the Luther Building. The City is on a tight schedule and hopes to vacate the current City Hall site by early 2013. Construction on the stadium must be complete by April 2014.

City Council agenda: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/city_council.asp?agenda=11-06-12&addition=false
Mijares Mora Architects website: http://www.mijaresmora.com/
In*Situ Architecture website: http://insituarc.com/

Previously:
Glimpse of Ballpark Plans Included in Council Agenda
Triple-A Club, Ballpark Debut New Website
No Ballpark Veto; Next Steps for Downtown Stadium
Rep. Acosta, Mayor Cook May Wreck Ballpark Deal
Ballpark Update: Paul Foster May Donate Luther Building
City Finalizes Quality of Life Ballot Questions
Council Votes to Purchase Buildings for City Hall Relocation
City to Decide Fate of Downtown Ballpark This Week (Updated)
City May Demolish City Hall for Ballpark

No Ballpark Veto; Next Steps for Downtown Stadium

Mayor John Cook announced today that he will not use his veto power to overturn the City's contract for a new $50 million Downtown baseball stadium. The announcement all but guarantees that Triple-A baseball is coming to the City, and City Hall will be vacated and demolished early next year to make room for the 9,000 seat ballpark.

The announcement came at noon in an exclusive live interview with KVIA reporter Darren Hunt and simultaneously at the City's website where the mayor released an official statement. According to media reports, the mayor had provided a tentative veto to the City Attorney's office before leaving El Paso on a road trip, but hadn't yet decided whether or not to veto. In the end, Mayor Cook decided it was in the city's best interest not to veto the baseball contract.

Mayor's Statement

In his statement, the mayor cited three reasons for making this decision. The first was changing his consideration of the baseball stadium and seeing it not as a quality-of-life project but as an economic development project, which City Council often approves, not the voting public.

The second reason was the realization that his preferred location for the stadium, between the convention center and Paisano Drive, would involve acquiring 38 different properties at a cost of around $25 million and most likely require the usage of Eminent Domain, which could be a very drawn out process. City Hall's most recent appraisal at $13 million was much lower than previous estimates and comparable to similarly-sized building in Downtown.

Future Baseball Stadium Site

And the third reason cited by the mayor was his concern that opposition to the ballpark would hurt Quality of Life bond items slated for the November ballot, feeling that the groups in support of the ballpark are also in favor of the Quality of Life projects which the mayor supports.

Next Steps

Now that the drama surrounding the City Council vote and Mayor Cook's possible veto has passed, the City and MountainStar Sports group will take their respective next steps in making Triple-A baseball a reality in 2014.

MountainStar Sports group now awaits the Pacific Coast League's ultimate stamp of approval that will allow the sale of the Triple-A club to be finalized, ensuring the team's acquisition is a done deal. Members of the group, including Paul Foster and Josh Hunt, have indicated that this step may take place any day now.

The City will now move to finalize purchases of buildings in other parts of Downtown which will house City departments. This includes the El Paso Times building at 300 N. Campbell Street and another at 801-811 E. Texas Ave. The City will also be working on the contract for a design architect, creating demolition and utility relocation plan packages for City Hall, and finalizing relocation plans.

City Manager Joyce Wilson has stated that she hopes to be completely out of City Hall by early 2013 at which time demolition could begin, leading to a tight schedule for ultimate construction of the baseball stadium. In construction terms, 2014 is not very far away.

HOT Ballot Issue

One of the most important pieces of the baseball puzzle may be the upcoming ballot item that could help pay for the great majority of the baseball stadium. An item in the November election will ask voters to approve a 2% increase in the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), which hotel patrons will pay while staying in hotels in the city. In El Paso, this amounts to an average of $1.40 more on a night's stay per hotel room. If the item does not pass, the City will be forced to look elsewhere to fund the stadium's construction.

Read more about the HOT ballot item in our post here.

Mayor's Statement (PDF): http://home.elpasotexas.gov/ballpark/documents/Mayor-%20Ballpark.pdf
City's Next Steps (PDF): http://home.elpasotexas.gov/ballpark/documents/Ballpark%20next%20steps.pdf

Previously:
Rep. Acosta, Mayor Cook May Wreck Ballpark Deal
Ballpark Update: Paul Foster May Donate Luther Building
City Finalizes Quality of Life Ballot Questions
Council Votes to Purchase Buildings for City Hall Relocation
City to Decide Fate of Downtown Ballpark This Week (Updated)
City May Demolish City Hall for Ballpark

Ballpark Update: Paul Foster May Donate Luther Building

The City of El Paso could get a sizable gift in the form of the Luther Building at its upcoming City Council meeting. Among the many baseball stadium-related items the City will consider at its September 18, 2012 meeting, one deals with the possible donation of the building to the City by Paul Foster. The City must find Downtown buildings for relocation of City departments so that City Hall may be demolished to make room for a Triple-A ballpark.

The Luther Building is outlined in yellow.

The Luther Building, located at 218 N. Campbell Street, was originally considered for purchase by the City in July, but was removed from consideration when other building options opened up. At the time, the City could have purchased the 62,400 square foot building for $17.4 million after thorough renovations were promised on the seller's side. Now, the City may get the building for free but with no improvements to its current condition.

The building is located directly across E. Mills Avenue from the El Paso Times building, which the City is also considering for purchase. An item to purchase the Times building was originally on the September 18 agenda but was postponed due to appraisal inconsistencies.

Paul Foster is one of the members of the group trying to bring the Triple-A baseball club to El Paso.

Previously:
Council Votes to Purchase Buildings for City Hall Relocation
City to Decide Fate of Downtown Ballpark This Week (Updated)

Council Votes to Purchase Buildings for City Hall Relocation

In its plans to vacate City Hall to make way for a new baseball stadium, the El Paso City Council voted on Tuesday, August 7, to purchase two buildings and begin the relocation process. The first and most prominent of the two is the El Paso Times building located at 300 N. Campbell Street; it offers 83,000 square feet of relatively modern space that the City could utilize right away and includes on-site parking which City staff and visitors can use. It would cost the City approximately $11 Million to purchase.

The second building is a smaller one located at 801 Texas Avenue. At 70,000 square feet, it could house the City Development, Parks and Recreation, and Engineering Departments. This building would cost around $2.5 Million to purchase.

A third building was also under consideration but was ultimately removed from consideration by the City. The 62,400 square foot Luther Building at 218 N. Campbell Street would have cost the city $17.4 Million dollars, but Council members decided that the other two buildings provide sufficient space for City functions. It is owned by Paul Foster, one of the members of the group trying to bring a Triple-A baseball club to El Paso. The Triple-A move requires a baseball stadium to be built Downtown.

The El Paso Times has stated that they will move out of their building if it is purchased by the City. Currently, the entire second floor is vacant. The City may also try to purchase the Times owned parking lot across Campbell Street.

801 Texas Avenue

Detractors have stated that the current City Hall is still useful and should not be demolished. But the City has often said it is in dire need of repairs; current estimates point to $20-30 Million in costs to rehab City Hall.

The City will now negotiate the purchase price of the two buildings and begin relocation as soon as the purchases are final.

City Hall Relocation Analysis by TVO (PDF): http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/08-07-12/08071209A-a.pdf

Previously:
City to Decide Fate of Downtown Ballpark This Week (Updated)

City May Demolish City Hall for Ballpark

Update: City Council approved a plan to build a baseball stadium at the City Hall site. Click here.

Original Story: 

City Hall Property

If local businessmen are successful in acquiring a Triple-A baseball club, the City may be willing to demolish City Hall in order to make the land available for a baseball stadium. That's according to a KVIA story by long-time reporter Darren Hunt. City officials are reportedly considering the idea due to timelines associated with the ball club acquisition; the understanding has been that a baseball stadium would have to be built downtown quickly in order to accommodate the deal.

Kress Building (from Wikipedia)

City offices, of course, would have to find new quarters, and talk of renovating the old Kress Building a few blocks away has been overheard at City Hall. The historic building is too small to accommodate all City offices, but it is a solution for some relocation. It is unclear what other spaces the City may move to, but there have been rumors for years of occupying the Blue Flame building near County and Federal offices. The Blue Flame buildings is owned by Paul Foster, one of the businessmen reportedly working on the deal to acquire the Triple-A club. The City also recently showed interest in the Roberts-Banner Building on the same block as the Kress.

City Hall is also in consideration as a future Arena site.

City Hall was built in 1979, and is reportedly in need of many repairs. In addition, the design of the building and surrounding surface parking lot are not in line with the vision the City has for Downtown. City Rep. Steve Ortega has asked the City Manager for cost estimates of emptying and demolishing City Hall, and states in the KVIA story that it all could happen withing the next eight to 16 months. In contrast, trying to acquire other properties for a ballpark could take years, so the City seems to be in favor of the City Hall option.

KVIA Story: http://www.kvia.com/news/31099991/detail.html