The project involved the gut rehabilitation of a historic emergency and transitional housing center for immigrant refugees in El Paso. Built in 1910, this 2-story brick building now features dining/lounge areas, a kitchen, bathrooms, and sleeping rooms. The renovation preserves its historic integrity while accommodating up to 80 people.
A "gut rehabilitation" or "gut rehab" is a construction process where the interior of a building is completely stripped down to its core structure—the "guts." All interior elements, including walls, flooring, plumbing, and electrical systems, are removed. The building is then rebuilt from the structural shell with entirely new components and a new layout, allowing for modern systems and spaces within an existing structure.
El Paso is a major city in the far western corner of Texas, situated on the Rio Grande across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It is a key hub for international trade, transportation, and culture. The city is known for its strong military presence, rich history, and unique desert landscape at the foot of the Franklin Mountains.
In architecture and historic preservation, "historic integrity" refers to the authenticity of a property's historic identity. It is the ability of a property to convey its significance, based on the survival of physical characteristics that existed during its period of historical importance. Preserving integrity involves carefully maintaining materials, design, workmanship, and location to protect the story the building tells.
