Few corners of El Paso carry as much history as Union Plaza. Anchored by the iconic Union Depot at 700 San Francisco Street, the district has been a crossroads of culture, commerce, and community for well over a century. From railroad boomtown to Mexican Revolution lookout tower to modern entertainment hub, here is a chronological look at the moments that shaped one of El Paso’s most storied neighborhoods.
1881: The Railroad That Put El Paso on the Map
When the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in El Paso in 1881, it changed everything. The small desert town exploded almost overnight, attracting bankers, merchants, cattlemen, miners, and gamblers from across the country. The area that would eventually become Union Plaza was ground zero for that growth, and the neighborhood has carried that railroad DNA ever since.
1906: El Paso Gets America’s First International Train Station
The crown jewel of Union Plaza came in the form of the Union Depot, completed in 1906 and designed by renowned Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham, the same man behind Washington D.C.’s Union Station. What made the El Paso depot truly one of…..