NEWH - Spring 2021 - 72

PROJECT | THE PLAZA HOTEL PIONEER PARK

Modern Revival
An iconic El Paso hotel is reborn
By Alia Akkam
Photography by James Baigrie

O

ne of Conrad Hilton's first high-rise hotels, the Plaza Pioneer Park,
in El Paso, Texas, opened in 1930 flaunting a brick façade, precast
reliefs, and a pyramid-shaped roof clad in Spanish tiles. After a
massive rehab of the property led by owner Paul Foster, a local real estate
developer and philanthropist, these striking features have been spiffed up,
welcoming guests into a modern-day Plaza Pioneer Park that thoughtfully
reinterprets its Pueblo Deco roots.
For the revamp, a collaboration between Atlanta-based Cooper Carry's
Hospitality Studio (in addition, the Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry handled
the F&B outlets, including the transformation of Elizabeth Taylor's former
penthouse into rooftop bar La Perla), local practice In*Situ Architecture,
and Dallas design firm ForrestPerkins, " ninety percent of the interiors were
completely demolished with only slab floors and exterior walls intact, " says
Colletta Conner, principal at ForrestPerkins.
Guided by drawings from the building's original architect, Trost & Trost, and
working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Texas State
Historic Preservation Office, the design team restored elements such as the

double-height mezzanine. Its stenciled beams, lanterns, and stained glass are
now juxtaposed with the illuminated amber backbar that stretches upwards
from the lobby-level Mexican restaurant Ámbar.
The site of numerous weddings and quinceañeras over the decades, the
hotel has long been embedded in El Paso's urban fabric, which has a special
relationship with sister city Ciudad Juárez, just over the Mexican border.
Amplifying this rapport are the works from Texan and Mexican artists on
display and a " custom art installation of outheld hands signifying the sense of
community between the two [locations], " explains Conner.
Along with materials like mohair and mahogany, many of the design choices,
she adds, " tie back to artisanal traditions, such as tooled leather that resonates
strongly in the border culture of El Paso, with a rich trade of belts and boots
supporting the local economy, " as well as handpainted tiles that nod to regional
homes and metals that call to mind saddlery.
ForrestPerkins also considered the landscape in its design. There are stones
that mimic the rugged environs and " the Franklin Mountains sparked inspiration
for a passageway of handmade ceramic florals, " says Conner. Guestrooms
are dominated by calming black, beige, and
taupe hues, but the public spaces are more
energized, embracing " a broad range of muted
green, brown, and rust tones while pulling in
the bright colors of the West Texas sunset, " she
continues, " also important in Mexican textiles. "

Left: The historic double-height mezzanine at
the Plaza Park Hotel features striking stenciled
beams and the amber backbar from the lobbylevel Ámbar.
Opposite page: The residentially inspired lobby
combines muted tones that mimic the landscape
along with pops of color recalling West Texas
sunsets and Mexican textiles.

72 newh.org
http://www.newh.org
NEWH - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - Spring 2021
