{"nrhp_refnum":"80004101","name":"Bassett, O. T., Tower","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"301 Texas Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"El Paso","county":"El Paso County","state":"TX","lat":31.891441646000033,"lon":-106.57124397399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A fifteen-story commercial office tower at 301 Texas Avenue in El Paso, Texas, built in 1930 and designed by the firm Trost and Trost.","why_significant":"The tower is presented as a monumental example of early 20th century skyscraper construction and one of Trost's most noteworthy structures. It was built by Charles N. Bassett in memory of his father, O.T. Bassett, who with his son played a major role in El Paso's early development, business life and civic affairs.","narrative":"Rising fifteen stories at 301 Texas Avenue, this 1930 office tower was once the tallest building in El Paso. Designed by Trost and Trost, it follows the setback skyscraper form of the Modernistic era, with unadorned brick piers running the full height and spandrel bricks arranged to create a shallow fluted effect. Terra cotta, art stone, marble and granite ornament the first and top floors. The southeast entrance carries Art Deco detailing, including faces, one believed to resemble architect Henry Trost. Eagle busts cap the uppermost piers, and a steep pyramidal roof crowns the building. Charles N. Bassett built it in memory of his father, O.T. Bassett, who came to El Paso in 1880 to buy land for the Texas and Pacific Railroad, helped found State National Bank, ran a lumber business and served on the first school board and city council. Charles later led the bank. The tower remains in office use.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Trost and Trost","architectural_style":"Stepped skyscraper; Modernistic, Art Deco detailing","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present use is the same as the original use: commercial/office.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.514895-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/9688/40968894/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/80004101.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968894","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._T._Bassett_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7072173"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/el-paso-county/bassett-o-t-tower-80004101/"}