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Opinion: Why a bill to demolish UTEP’s historic Student Union Building threatens El Paso’s cultural legacy [1]

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Date: 2025-05-06

By PJ Vierra

As House Bill 2853 advances through the Texas Legislature, El Paso stands at a crossroads regarding the preservation of its architectural and cultural heritage. This bill, which recently passed the Texas House of Representatives, would authorize the demolition of Percy McGhee’s historic 1949 Student Union Building at the University of Texas at El Paso.

PJ Vierra

While proponents frame this as progress, the decision risks permanently erasing an irreplaceable piece of El Paso’s cultural landscape without proper scholarly and public consideration.

What makes this situation particularly troubling is the absence of meaningful public discourse about the building’s historical significance. Even Edgar Loya, president of UTEP’s Student Government Association, admitted he was “unaware of the historical concerns” while advocating for the building’s demolition. This acknowledgment reveals a disturbing disconnect between the university’s leadership and its own heritage.

The September 2024 student referendum that approved the demolition passed by a razor-thin margin — just 73 votes — with only 9% of the student body participating. Research on democratic decision-making consistently shows that such low participation rates undermine the legitimacy of consequential decisions, particularly when they involve irreversible actions like demolition. This meager turnout falls far short of establishing a genuine mandate for such a permanent decision.

More troubling is the information asymmetry present during the vote. Students cast their ballots without comprehensive information about the building’s historical significance or about viable renovation alternatives that could preserve the exterior while modernizing the interior. Political science research demonstrates that when voters lack substantive information, their decisions are less likely to align with their actual interests and values.

The referendum’s messaging appears to have emphasized only the building’s maintenance challenges rather than presenting a balanced view that included its historical importance as part of the oldest extant university campus in Texas with its original buildings still intact.

This selective presentation of information undermines the democratic principle that legitimate decisions require informed consent. When universities frame referendums with incomplete information, they risk using student votes as mere procedural cover for decisions that have already been made at administrative levels.

The fate of the Student Union Building may be just the beginning. UTEP’s 2024 Campus Master Plan identifies nine core heritage sites for potential demolition over the next decade. These buildings, constructed between 1917 and 1951, collectively form the oldest extant university campus in Texas. Their potential loss would irreparably damage the university’s distinctive character and cultural significance.

University officials have cited $348 million in deferred maintenance costs as justification for demolition. However, closer examination reveals that the nine historic buildings marked for demolition account for less than 5% of these total costs — approximately $15.8 million. This raises serious questions about whether financial considerations are the true motivation behind these decisions.

Before any historic building is demolished, a thorough assessment of its historical, cultural, and architectural significance should be conducted with input from scholars, preservation experts, and the public. The current process has bypassed these essential steps, rushing toward demolition without adequate consideration of alternatives or consequences.

As HB 2853 moves to the Texas Senate, El Pasoans have an opportunity to demand a more thoughtful approach. The bill should be amended to require proper historical assessment and public input before any demolition proceeds. The university should be required to explore renovation options that would preserve the building’s exterior while updating its interior functionality.

Demolition is forever. Once these buildings are gone, they cannot be recovered. Future generations of UTEP students, faculty and El Pasoans deserve to experience the unique architectural heritage that has defined the university for over a century. The decision to erase this heritage should not be made hastily or without full consideration of its implications.

PJ Vierra has researched and published on the history of UTEP and Texas higher education since 2012. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2016 and is a member of the UTEP Heritage Commission.

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[1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2025/05/06/opinion-utep-union-demolition-texas-legislature/

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