TexasEscapes.com Texas Escapes Online Magazine: Travel and History
Columns: History, Humor, Topical and Opinion
Over 1400 Texas Towns & Ghost Towns
NEW : : TEXAS TOWNS : : GHOST TOWNS : : FEATURES : : COLUMNS : : ARCHITECTURE : : IMAGES : : SITE MAP
HOME
SEARCH SITE
ARCHIVES
FORUM
RESERVATIONS
Texas Hotels
Hotels
Cars
Air
Cruises
 
  Texas : Architecture : Drive-by Architecture :

The Former El Capitan Hotel
Van Horn, Texas

Architects : Trost & Trost, El Paso, Texas
Date : 1930
Style : "Pueblo Revival"

Book Your Hotel Here & Save
Van Horn Hotels >

El Capitan Hotel
El Capitan Hotel c. 1930.

Old postcard TE archives
El Capitan Hotel, Van Horn, Texas
El Capitan Hotel today

Photo Courtesy Jason Penney

According to the excellent Architecture in Texas 1895-1945 by Jay C. Henry, the El Capitan was perhaps the finest example of Pueblo Revival Style in Texas. Examples are rare, and it's entirely possible that the building is the last of its kind in Texas.

In the 1920s, architecture was changing to accommodate the independent motorist. Gas stations and out-of-the-way hotels opened up where it was unthinkable just a few years earlier. Their remote locations made them full-service out of necessity, but in a few years, "tourist courts" made their appearance and then motor hotels. The two words became motel after WWII, although there are a few photographs showing the word in use as early as 1936.

The Pueblo Revival Style enjoyed greater popularity in New Mexico, than Texas. The Franciscan Hotel in Albuquerque, built by the same architects of the El Capitan was the high-water mark of this style in 1921.

While the Franciscan has been razed, another example of this style is found in Marfa. The El Paisano was constructed by Trost and Trost in 1926. The Paisano is still open at 207 N. Highland in Marfa, with 9 rooms for rent.

See Van Horn, Texas

Book Your Hotel Here & Save
Van Horn Hotels >

©John Troesser
Thanks to photographer Jason Penney, we are able to show our readers the present state of the El Capitan Hotel, which is now home to Van Horn State Bank / Van Horn Office Supplies / Radio Shack.
August 2000
 
TEXAS TOWN LIST | TEXAS GHOST TOWNS
Texas Hill Country | East Texas | Central Texas North | Central Texas South |
West Texas | Texas Panhandle | South Texas | Texas Gulf Coast
TRIPS | State Parks | Rivers | Lakes | Drives | Maps | LODGING

TEXAS FEATURES
Ghosts | People | Historic Trees | Cemeteries | Small Town Sagas | WWII |
History | Black History | Rooms with a Past | Music | Animals | Books | MEXICO
COLUMNS : History, Humor, Topical and Opinion

TEXAS ARCHITECTURE | IMAGES
Courthouses | Jails | Churches | Gas Stations | Schoolhouses | Bridges | Theaters | Monuments/Statues | Depots | Water Towers | Post Offices | Grain Elevators |
Lodges | Museums | Stores | Banks | Gargoyles | Corner Stones | Pitted Dates |
Drive-by Architecture | Old Neon | Murals | Signs | Ghost Signs

TRAVEL RESERVATIONS
TEXAS HOTELS | Hotels | Cars | Air | Cruises | USA


Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Recommend Us | Links
Contributors | Staff | About Us | Contact TE |
TEXAS ESCAPES ONLINE MAGAZINE
HOME
Website Content Copyright ©1998-2006. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. All Rights Reserved
This page last modified: October 26, 2006