Federal Street Restoration

In 2019, a preservation architect arrived at a forlorn address in El Paso’s historic district. A tear-down by most standards, the long-vacant home had finishes that crumbled at a touch. With a client committed to painstaking regeneration, the project now stands as a lesson in allegiance to place. Designed in 1922 by Otto Thorman, the house reflects his apprenticeship with John Gaw Meem, combining desert imperatives with Pueblo forms, a courtyard, restrained territorial detailing, and a third-floor sleeping porch to act as a source of convection throughout the home. Restoration reinstated passive energy functions and demanded rigorous research and artisanal craft: plaster-on-lath was replaced, encaustic tile repaired, vigas uncovered and refinished, windows reconstructed with original glass, and exterior stucco reapplied. Once again, the Federal House is bound to the seasons, city, and neighborhood.

“[This project] is extremely emblematic of the times that we are in, when we should absolutely celebrate local culture. This project really shows you the history of El Paso and the history of housing in this location. The architect’s decision to bring the house back to its original glory just shows how thoughtful they are, and how thoughtful architecture can be.”

—Germane Barnes, RA