So That Is What Was In the Mysterious Asarco Time Capsule

Thursday night at the El Paso Museum of History featured a great opening for a photographic exhibit documenting the deconstruction of Asarco and the unveiling of a Time Capsule that preserved memories from Asarco decades ago.  Featured inside the metal box were a newspaper from that day it was buried back in the 70s, a 1975 quarter, documents, and more.  I highly suggest you go to the museum to see everything in its entirety.

Carol Eastman, local photographer, captured some beautiful photographs that will forever hold the memory of the structures of Asarco that have been torn down.  Jackson Polk is in the process of putting together a video that he and other shot that will also document the history of Asarco.  The museum features a three minute preview of what they have put together so far.

Remember, access to he museum is free, although they do gladly accept donations.  Take pride in El Paso’s past and go check out this exhibit.  We should fee fortunate that our city has an entity that is dedicated solely to preserving our past so that future generations can learn about the strong culture and events that make El Paso what it is today.

 

 

Here is the video that was shown at the Museum.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Mysterious Asarco Time Capsule To Be Opened Tonight

That’s correct, in 1975, Asarco buried a time capsule but the contents are unknown….what could it be?  Secret government documents…gold…old photographs?  I’m not sure but I plan on being at the El Paso Museum of History at 6 p.m. to find out and to also check out Carol Eastman’s opening exhibit that is a visual record of the Deconstruction of the Asarco Smelter.  The exhibit runs from February 17th to June 30th.  If you want to find out whats inside the capsule…then you need to stop by the El Paso Museum of History.

Could this be the time capsule from Asarco?

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

 

Changed My Mind On Asarco Stack

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and have now decided that I would like to see both Asarco Stacks demolished.  I know, for a while, I was a huge proponent for them staying.

When I drive on I-10 I keep imagining what it would  look like with the stacks gone…and I think it would look quite nice.

The following photos feature a stacked Asarco and a stackless Asarco (with my bad Photoshop skills)

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My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Tacoma, Washington’s Asarco Solution

photo credit to http://www.waymarking.com/

My sister sent me some great info about the Asarco site up in Tacoma, Washington.  Their site was shut down back in 1985 and they are just now seeing redevelopment happen there which leads me to believe that the Asarco project will take time (which is what local leaders have said since we got word that the El Paso smelter would not reopen)

Did  you know that Tacoma’s some stack was the tallest in the world at 564 ft  that was until they demolished it.  check out the video below @ the 3.34 mark.

Where is Tacoma now with their redevelopment solution?  Back in 2008 a developer bid on the land and now is working on developing a community on it.  For more info, click here. and here  Now I’m not saying that their solution is the right one but it does show the possibilities.   Here is an article from Nov. of 2009 that talks about two new apartment buildings that will be constructed on the site with help from the govt.  Click here for article

What we do know is that the Asarco site needs some major remediation and it will probably take a lot more money than is currently allocated to clean it up to a standard that would permit commercial/residential development. 

What are your thoughts on Tacoma’s solution and would you support a similar project here?  Should all of the buildings, including Daddy stack/baby stack, be demolished?

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

UPDATE: City Council awards contract for Asarco Study

From elpasotimes.com 

EL PASO - The city is moving forward with a new long-range plan that will look at what to do with about 460 acres of Asarco-owned land around its abandoned smelter and on the north side of Interstate 10 near UTEP. Click to Read More

Count me in on being there for the 12 public hearings on what to do with the Asarco land. 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

What would you build at Asarco in El Paso?

Gas Works Park Seattle

Say you had a lot of money and decided to purchase the Asarco Property, what would you do with that opportunity?  

UTEP has been in the news recently with word that they are interested in purchasing the Asarco Property.  Even they are not sure what they would do with all of those acres if they came to purchase it in the future. 

Currently, we have a facility that has essentially been mothballed and is having many environmental tests to see how much remediation needs to be done to clean it up. 

How about an industrial center?  The facilities are already intact and might as well keep with the status quo….I hate this option. 

How about residential?  Unfortunately, the cost to bring the land up to standard would cost more than El Paso is willing to put forth and it might be kinda weird being sandwiched between Paisano and I-10. 

Mixed-Use?  I am a huge mixed use fan but I don’t want to see massive parking lots everywhere. 

Perhaps a Park?  Now this is closer to what I would love to see. Maybe something similar to Gas Works Park in Seattle.  We could keep some of the old equipment and then build a beautiful park around it.  To add to that, maybe we could build a learning center where El Pasoans young and old can learn about Asarco’s impact (both positive and negative) on El Paso? 

So I guess you can tell the last option is my favorite but I want to hear from you.  What do YOU want to see done with that property? 

My name is David and I am living El Paso. 

For more info on Asarco on this blog, visit this link to see all articles containing Asarco.  http://livingelpaso.wordpress.com/?s=asarco

Part 2 Asarco / Update

picture from theplazatheatre.org courtesy of El Paso Community Foundation

First, I apologize for the absence the past few days.  I didn’t get to post on Thursday and  Friday because I left for Goldthwaite, TX for a wedding and did not return until last night.  While my phone service was spotty, I did manage to receive some e-mails and also saw that a few of you commented on a couple posts and I will respond to those as soon as I can.  I was reading the El Paso Times this morning and came across an article that talked about the plaza movie festival. 

We owe many thanks to Eric Pearson and the rest of the organizers who put on such a great event and I am so happy a lot of you made your way downtown to experience it.  These are the types of events that will define us as a community and are essential building blocks to having El Paso meet its potential.

This past weekend, I wrote my first guest column in the El Paso Times.  I am very honored to have been one of the four that was chosen and I look forward to sharing the El Paso experience with others. 

Part 2 Asarco

On Wednesday, I spoke about how I would like a new building built that would focus on featuring a museum, a learning center, and meeting facility.   I have spoken with a few other people since then and they have mentioned the need to preserve some of the buildings there as they are historic and definitely hold a certain value to the community.   When I heard this, it made me think of Gas Works Park in Seattle.  The picture to your right is Gas Works Park after the environmental clean up was done.  The site was once used as a plant that manufactured gas from coal and then oil.  When the plant shut down, the city acquired the property in 1962 and by 1975, it was opened to the public as  a park.   The foresight by Seattle’s civic leaders is a vision that I hope our civic leaders also hold. 

I would really be disappointed to see the area turned into an industrial district or a large parking lot.  I hope that many of the old structures can remain and be refurbished.  While this process might take a while, the time to start planning is now.  The man behind Gas Works Park is an architect by the name of Richard Haag.  Maybe we should bring him to look at the site and then have him offer his ideas on  what he thinks would be best. 

As soon as a trustee is chosen by the State, Asarco can take that  next step towards a new beginning.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Time to talk Asarco El Paso

The news has been pretty quiet about Asarco lately, as has any discussion about what the citizens of El Paso would like to see done with the site.  Yes, in the end, we might not have final say, but we need to at least let our voices be heard.  So consider this “Living El Paso’s” idea for what I would like to see done at that currently contaminated piece of land.

First, I want to see a learning/research center built.  Its focus will be on the history of Asarco and its impact on El Paso over the last 100+ years.  Also, it will serve as a facility where research can be done on the effects of energy use and ways to improve future energy consumption (in conjunction with UTEP and school districts)  This could become a world class institution where people from around the world come to study/learn.

Another floor of the center could serve as a museum that takes visitors through an interactive exhibit that shows Asarco from its birth to its end (managed by El Paso Museum of History?)

At the very top could be an observation floor/deck where people can host receptions/fundraisers/speakers etc..

On top of that, it would be architecturally unique and feature large windows that allow visitors to take in El Paso’s beautiful geography and sky.  Kinda like the picture below

 

So the building would be my phase one.  What would you do different?  I will share phase 2 with you tomorrow.

If we come together and voice what we want as a community, then maybe they will listen to us.  IF we come together, we can be very influential.  I really want ideas, so don’t be afraid to share, just type them into the comment box.

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

Victory Park in Dallas a model for ASARCO?

A couple of my friends showed me this article in Texas A&M Real Estate Center magazine about Victory Park in Dallas.  The 75 acre site near downtown D help a 100 year old dump, railroad  maintence yard, and an old power plant just to name a few.  The site was really contaminated, but Ross Perot Jr. and his development company came in and has completely transformed the area into what is now callec Victory Park.

I know ASARCO is a different situation, but it shows that anything is possible with commitment and serious financial backing.  Many say it will take a long time before the place will be cleaned up and we should stop talking about what we want to do with it since it will be a long time, if ever, to develop it. 

If you are interested to read about what happened up in Dallas, click here to access the pdf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand that a lot of testing and cleanup has to be done, but this shouldn’t stop our community from planning what could be a very exciting development and shape the city for years to come. I’m not saying what was done in Dallas should be done here, but it at least shows one possiblity and might spark other ideas.

 

 Some other links on Victory Park:

• Photos from Skyscraper Forums
• Victory Park website
• Hillwood site, company behind the project
• Info on Brownfields and this from TCEQ

 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.

 

 

 

Asarco finally closed, now its time to plan

Just read on newspapertree and El Paso Times that Asarco has chosen not to reopen the smelter.  While a loss of potential good paying jobs is never a good thing, it is great for our environment and future economic development.  It’s time to bring  local, state, and federal governments in to help Asarco try and clean this place up as much as they can.

I don’t believe all the buildings and smokestacks should be torn down.  This place is part of El Paso history and it would be great to see it turned into something like Gas Works Park in Seattle.  This could become a great place to put a learning facility that teaches young El Pasoans about the history of the city and how certain industries, while profitable, can also hurt the environment and economic development.

 

What would you do with the Asarco site?

 

El Paso Asarco Plant

 

 

My name is David and I am living El Paso.