Abdou Building
Why it's listed
Rising seven stories at the corner of Texas Avenue and Mesa Street in El Paso, this reinforced concrete building was completed in 1909 as the Rio Grande Valley Bank Building. Trost and Trost designed it on an irregular quadrilateral site. It has a two-story arcaded base topped by a five-story tower with three-part windows showing Chicago influence, and a broad concave cornice crowns the top. About a year after completion, two more arched bays were added on the Texas Avenue side, matching the original proportions and materials. The bank had operated since 1905 from the Buckler Building before outgrowing it. Construction was extended from six stories to seven, and the lobby was finished with marble. In 1925 Sam Abdou, a prominent El Paso businessman, bought the building and leased it to the American Trust and Savings Bank. Retail shops later occupied the ground floor, and Zales has leased the lower floors since 1955. The building is valued for its stark expression of reinforced concrete.
Significance in brief: The building shows the structural and decorative capabilities of reinforced concrete, a material Henry Trost explored in the early 20th century. It also has a connection to the Rio Grande Valley Bank and to Sam Abdou, a prominent El Paso businessman and philanthropist who bought it in 1925.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80004100, listed September 24, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 115 N. Mesa St., El Paso |
|---|---|
| County | El Paso County |
| Listed | September 24, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004100 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Trost and Trost |
| Architectural style | Early 20th century skyscraper with modernistic detailing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In commercial/retail use; the form notes the base arches were infilled with dark reflective glass, changes described as readily reversible. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 |
| Coordinates | 31.75876, -106.48719 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80004100.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q61748233
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.