Here’s the latest narrative spin:
River Oaks demolished a cluster of five decaying buildings on the property last year over the objections of local preservationists. The buildings, located just outside of the Downtown Historic District, were vacant; one once housed a fabric store. The sale price is listed as $5 million in the portfolio obtained by El Paso Inc.
So now they’re decaying buildings. I guess we all start decaying after we reach about thirty. Those buildings might have had some internal issues that have not, curiously, been made public yet. But they didn’t look bad from the outside. Historical might have been a better, more accurate. descriptor than decaying.
In an interesting coincidence, that cool old Trost bank next to John Wesley Hardin’s office, the one that burned down, also had not obvious internal issues which necessitated it being razed. River Oaks has since developed that corner into a vacant lot, just like they did for that half block downtown of supposedly “decaying” buildings.
It’s just another wrinkle in the narrative. Spin. Historical whitewash. Lying.
Has anyone noticed that the people who were dedicated to reviving downtown have taken to turning historical buildings into vacant lots?
I imagine Gerry and Adam sitting up there in the glass house, smoking cigars as the sun sets in an orange gray apocalyptic haze. “Ho ho,” they chortle, as they lift their brandy snifters, and the flares of tactical nukes blossom across the Mesilla valley.
Then they slink into they’re subterranean lead-lined safe room, and open a bottle of champagne.
Really I reckon Mr. Rubin is one of the more benevolent actors in the El Paso economy. But it’s hard to reconcile that with the vacant lots.
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