What do these six things have in common – Gage, Holland, Paisano, El Capitan, Plaza and Paso del Norte? They are all historic hotels in the Texas Mountain Trail Region, or Far West Texas. Stretching from Marathon to El Paso, travelers have been visiting these extraordinary hotels for over a century.
The landscape of Far West Texas is characterized by vast rural expanses, dotted with small towns, with El Paso as the “big city” of the region. The arrival of key transportation routes like the Butterfield Overland Stage Route, Old Spanish Trail, Southern Pacific Railroad, U.S. Route 90, Bankhead Highway, and in the 1970’s, IH-10 brought significant changes to the region over time.
These transportation routes facilitated the movement of people and goods, transforming the once sleepy towns along the rails and roads into bustling hubs of activity. Initially, the primary visitors were area cattle ranchers buying and selling livestock. The booming mining trade also brought people into Marathon, Alpine and Marfa, contributing to their growth.
As these towns flourished, they began to attract tourists seeking the benefits of the fresh desert air. With the need for accommodations increasing, hotels began to spring up along the routes, catering to the needs of both travelers and locals.
The common thread that weaves the notable hotels on this list is their shared architectural history—they were all designed by the firm Trost & Trost. Widely regarded as the premier designers throughout West Texas and the Southwestern United States, Trost & Trost left an indelible mark on the region’s communities.
Left to Right: Henry Trost, Adolphus Trost, and Gustavos Trost, followed by the Trost & Trost Architects Engineers letterhead.
Henry C. Trost, born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1860, lived in various cities throughout his life until settling in El Paso in 1903. In 1905, he co-founded the architectural firm Trost & Trost with his brother Gustavus A. Trost, assuming the role of Chief Designer. Gustavus’s twin, Adolphus G. Trost, joined the firm in 1908, bringing his expertise as a structural engineer to complement Henry’s designs. Henry lived in Chicago from 1888 to 1896 and this likely played a significant role in shaping his architectural style, as the influence of the Chicago School of Architecture can be seen in many of his designs.
The firm quickly gained recognition for its innovative designs and contributions to the architectural landscape of El Paso and beyond. Henry demonstrated the ability to work in a variety of styles including Mission, Spanish and Pueblo Revival, Art Deco, and even Bhutanese Dzong which can be seen at the University of Texas at El Paso. He was designing large and small buildings, homes, churches, commercial and public buildings, and pioneering the use of steel‑reinforced concrete. Trost designed El Paso’s first skyscrapers and large downtown buildings. By the end of Henry’s life in 1933, the firm had designed 650 buildings throughout the southwest. The firm’s work continued until the early 1950s.
The Trost Trail is a heritage tourism project created by the Texas Mountain Trail, to not only highlight the iconic architects’ contributions to the area, but to also provide travelers with an itinerary to explore these significant sites and immerse themselves in history.
Referred to as “The Star of the Texas Mountain Trail” by the Trost Society, The Gage Hotel, in Marathon, is a beautiful two-story yellow brick structure. It is an example of Mission and Spanish-style design, although it doesn’t have many of the Spanish and Mission features we have come to expect, such as stucco, a rounded decorative parapet, red tile roof etc.
Alfred Gage, a local rancher who had emigrated from Vermont in the late 1870s and saw Marathon as a prospering cattle rancher community, decided to build a hotel to use as a base to oversee his own ranching operation. The hotel officially opened for business in April of 1927.
In 1978, a new chapter in the history of the Gage began with the acquisition by Houston businessman J.P. Bryan, a direct descendant of Stephen F. Austin, the revered “Father of Texas.” Recognizing the hotel’s potential as a cultural treasure deserving of preservation, the Gage underwent a massive restoration under Bryan, and every detail was carefully curated. West Texas, Southwestern and Mexican-inspired décor and furnishings add to the authenticity of its interiors.
Left The Holland Hotel lobby. Right Entrance of Hotel Paisano in Marfa.
The Holland Hotel in Alpine was originally opened in 1912 by prominent cattleman John Holland primarily for travelers associated with the booming mercury mining trade. Following John Holland’s death in 1928, his son Clay assumed the reins of the family business with a vision to expand and enhance the hotel.
The result was a three-story, flat front in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The expanded hotel, that was just doors down from its original location quickly became an icon of hospitality in Alpine, drawing visitors from far and wide. Its interiors are adorned with exquisite Spanish designs, furnishings, and meticulous attention to detail.
“The new $250,000 Holland Hotel included a dining room, ballroom and an expansive lobby”, says Abbey Branch, founder of Alpine Historic Association. “It was the epitome of convenience, comfort, and beauty. Because the expansion also provided additional ground floor space for new offices and businesses, the hotel became the center of civic, social, and business life in Alpine”, Branch says.
Hotel Paisano in Marfa was completed in 1930 and was one of Henry’s final designs of his incredible career. Designed in Spanish Revival style, the building features a charming stucco facade accentuated by intricate decorative arches and topped with a red tile roof. The guestroom balconies with wrought iron railings overlook a picturesque courtyard with a grand fountain in the center. The interior has colorful tiles throughout, fireplaces and wooden beams on the high ceilings.
The story of the Hotel Paisano intertwines with both local history and Hollywood glamour. Its construction began days before the stock market crash that led to the turmoil of the Great Depression. Despite the challenging times, the hotel managed to survive. In 1955 with the arrival of Warner Brothers and the filming of the iconic movie Giant, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean stayed, dined, and partied at the Paisano. For six weeks, it served as a hub for the cast and crew, becoming an integral part of the film’s history.
Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn was built in 1930, at the crossroads of the forthcoming Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe and Big Bend National Parks. The building is designed in a very beautiful Pueblo style. The lobby is adorned with colorful floor tiles from Wheatley Tile and Pottery Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. The stairwells are finely crafted with wrought iron banisters and exposed Spanish vigas line the fourteen-foot ceilings. The building is often considered one of Henry’s best, and in fact, the people of Van Horn loved the building so much, there was fanfare and celebration. The city even changed the street structure, so El Capitan was facing the main thoroughfare.
Starvanna Locante, General Manager of the “El Cap”, as she affectionally refers to it, was born and raised in Van Horn and has been at the hotel since 2019. “The building was converted into the Van Horn State Bank in the 1970s and served as a bank for over 30 years” says Lovante. “In 2007, Lanna and Joe Duncan of Fort Davis purchased the building from the bank and converted the El Capitan back into the beloved hotel it was destined to be.”
The beautiful, lush courtyard with a tall water fountain was installed by the bank to beautify the building for the arrival of the First Lady of Texas, who was visiting for the inauguration of the community’s Main Street program. “Today, the fountain and lush courtyard is beloved by locals and weary travelers as an oasis in the desert.” says Locante.
Hotel Paso del Norte stained glass dome.
The Trost & Trost Firm’s base of operations was in El Paso and is where the bulk of Trost buildings are concentrated. El Paso served as the hotbed of their prolific output with many buildings bearing their distinctive style.
The Hilton Hotel in El Paso, later renamed The Plaza Hotel at Pioneer Park, is one of Trost’s most iconic creations. Commissioned by Conrad Hilton in 1929, the building was designed in the elegant Art Deco style.
Nineteen days after construction started, the stock market crashed and yet another Trost project was affected by the Depression. Construction continued though, and the Hilton, at 236 feet high, became the tallest building in El Paso at the time. The brown brick and concrete building with setbacks on the 16th and 17th floors and clay tiled pyramidal roof was considered sophisticated and modern and became a landmark in the city’s skyline.
The brief residency of actress Elizabeth Taylor in 1950, where she planned her wedding with her mother and the groom’s (Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, Jr.) mother, adds a touch of glamour and intrigue to the story. Today, the rooftop bar La Perla occupies what was Ms. Taylor’s penthouse suite.
Hotel Paso del Norte in El Paso, completed in 1912, is a magnificent building showcasing a blend of architectural styles, combining the elegance of Beau Arts with the practicality of the Chicago School, resulting in an eclectic and visually stunning design.
The building was the vision of El Pasoan Zach White and a group of investors. White was determined to replace the Grand Central Hotel, that was destroyed by fire, but not only build it to be grand and elegant, but also fire-proof. White hired Trost and together they traveled to San Francisco to study buildings that withstood the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires. Trost designed the building to be fire and earthquake proof.
The highlight of the hotel is the century old 25-foot Tiffany style-stained glass dome in the lobby. Dubbed the “million-dollar hotel”, this building is floor to ceiling glamour.
The Texas Mountain Trail’s Trost Trail offers an exciting journey to these architectural gems of the region. Each of these buildings tells a story of innovation, history, and craftsmanship, and celebrates the heritage of the Texas Mountain Trail Region.
While we’ve highlighted the hotels on the trail, it’s important to note that there’s much more to discover.
“There’s something special about a beautiful hotel.” El Cap’s Locante says. “You will find me enjoying a glass of Texas red by the fireplace or outside by the fountain on a beautiful summer day, where the birds meet every evening in the oak trees to sing songs for all the guests.”
