Art Deco setbacks climb the O. T. Bassett Tower at 303 Texas Avenue in Downtown El Paso, right in front of you. Built by Charles N. Bassett and named in honor of his father, the tower was designed by Trost & Trost and completed in 1930 — one of Henry Trost’s last commissions. For a brief moment it was the tallest building in the city before being surpassed later the same year by the Hilton Hotel.
Rising 217 feet (66 m) with 15 stories, the building steps back at the tenth and thirteenth floors, a classic Art Deco silhouette. Up close you’ll notice the tan brick veneer facing the structure, and the stone and terra cotta decorative elements that give it its distinctive character. Above the main entrance is a sculpted face, long believed to be that of Trost himself, a private signature from the architect.
In recognition of its architectural and civic presence it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Notice the setbacks at the tenth and thirteenth floors, the sculpted face above the entrance long believed to be Trost's own, and the tan brick and terra cotta that mark this 1930 landmark.