Will El Paso's Lincoln Center Be Demolished?

The Lincoln Center was supposed to be demolished on October first, but those plans have been put on hold. The land where the Lincoln Center sits has had a long history with Hispanics in the El Paso area, but instead of trying to save it, maybe it should become an exhibit in the El Paso Museum of History.

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I know the group that is working to save the Lincoln Center isn’t going to want to hear this, but TxDOT has owned the building since 1969, and seeing as they are in the business of building roads, chances are pretty slim that they aren’t going to tear down the Lincoln Center. They said in a statement on Wednesday that they are focused on working with the City and community members on removing and preserving artifacts from the Lincoln Center. They also said that the building is tied to future transportation projects in the area, but environmental and cultural studies need to be done before the building can be demolished.

It’s pretty clear TxDOT intends to bring that building down, but they are just giving preservationists the chance to get artifacts from the building out before it gets demolished.

A lot of energy has been expended trying to save the building that has been closed for eight years after mold was found in it after Storm 2006. Instead of fighting a losing battle, maybe the Lincoln Center Conservation Committee could make an extensive video and photographic history of the building, get the artifacts out, and become a permanent exhibit at the El Paso Museum of Art.

Is being ensconced in a museum and being history better than being open and not demolished? No, it’s not. But sometimes a little of something is better than nothing. You can read a really good history of the Lincoln Center on the website of the group fighting to save it. It’s clear the Center has been an important part of El Paso history for a very long time. Unfortunately, it’s also clear that it’s not long for this world, so let’s work to preserve the memories and artifacts.