Demolition of 5 buildings begins in Downtown El Paso

POSTED: Monday, May 26, 2014 - 7:46pm

UPDATED: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 2:11pm

EL PASO (KTSM) Look out below.

Demolition crews have started tearing down five buildings along San Antonio Avenue in Downtown El Paso.

City Council gave River Oaks Properties the permits to take down the vacant structureslocated near theMesa Street intersection backin March.

As of Monday, most of one of the properties had already come down.

River Oaks has not said what may bein store for the land. Banners reaching out to potential developers have been posted in the area.

Because the buildings do not sitwithin a historical district, the demolition permits came with little resistance from the City.

Dr. Alex Grossman of El Paso County's Historical Commission said he wished some of the building's facades would have been spared.

"Now, we're going to look at gigantic and immense empty lot," Grossman told NewsChannel 9. "This action, this demolition, for us -- as preservationists -- represents the single greatest act of destruction in recent memory."

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Demolition of 5 buildings begins in Downtown El Paso