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THE CITY SPACES HOME & DESIGN

contents

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The Show Goes on for the Ghosts at The Plaza Theatre

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A Spectacular Homage to the Elements

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The Spirit of El Paso Alive in the Magoffin Home

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THE CITY SPACES HOME & DESIGN

The Show Goes on

Plaza

The

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For the Ghosts at

Theatre | By: ERIN COULEHAN photos courtesy of: EL PASO LIVE |

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T

T h e P l a z a T h e at r e

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he haunted history of theaters across the world have

In addition to the soldiers, historians assert that pauper’s graves could

intrigued different generations across different cultures from the

once be found near Missouri street where saloons and gambling

superstition behind not uttering “Macbeth” inside any theater, to

events tempted residents to indulge their vices.

phantoms haunting opera halls, to El Paso’s own Plaza Theatre.

The Plaza Theatre was purchased by Interstate Theatres in 1933 and

The Plaza Theatre dates back to its grand opening on September 12, 1930

functioned as a movie house until it closed in May 1974. Overtime,

when it served as a film house, and is now home to live performances

stories of ghosts and things that go bump in the night were woven

that include concerts, Broadway shows, performing arts, and more -- but

like a spider’s web that persisted.

the location has long since been linked to the paranormal.

“There are stories that have been around a long time,” says Doug “If you draw a rectangle around the present business district of El

Pullen, Plaza Theatre docent. “One of the more famous ones involves

Paso, the northwest corner includes abandoned cemeteries which

a man who was smoking a cigar on the mezzanine level, and I’ve had

lay just outside the boundaries of the dusty adobe village once known

people tell me that they smelled cigar smoke up there. As recently as

as Franklin,” reports an article published in 1911 by the Herald Post.

this past August, I ran into someone when we were showing ‘Little Shop of Horror’ out on Oregon street and she told me she smelled

Prior to being relocated to its current location, Fort Bliss soldiers were

cigar smoke at the ‘Amadeus’ screening,” he continues.

buried at present-day Cleveland Square and the downtown El Paso Library. In 1883, Union soldiers buried at the site were exhumed and

In an article entitled “Ghosts and Goosebumps” published in Plaza

reburied at Fort Snelling, and it wasn’t until 1893 that the former

Premiere in 2014, writer Myrna Zanetell recounts earlier claims of

cemetery officially became part of the City of El Paso.

the supernaturally appearing cigar from the perspective of a janitor employed by The Plaza Theatre during the 1950s:

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THE CITY SPACES HOME & DESIGN

There are stories that have been around a long time. One of the more famous ones involves a man who was smoking a cigar on the mezzanine level, and I’ve had people tell me that they smelled cigar smoke up there.

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T h e P l a z a T h e at r e

Fall 2022

“He told about a man in uniform during the 1940s who fell over the

by his experience -- Flores claimed a ghost helped him carry a large

railing from the second balcony into the orchestra section below.

sign up a set of stairs -- that he documented his experience in a short

Some say the victim might have been taking a nip while others thought

story called “The Faceless Ghost.”

he was merely careless and didn’t watch where he was going. Years later, patrons would report seeing the glow of a cigarette high in the

Flores writes:

darkened theatre. Whenever anybody tried to approach the light, it seemed to move farther away so that you could never reach it.”

“As I eased down the stairway to the basement storage area, I could see the figure of a large man dressed in a black, long tail coat and

Another famed ghost tale centers on an event that may or may not

light trousers, with a ribbon tied around his neck. The figure stood

have occurred in the 1930s in which a gentleman seated in the balcony

motionless in the corner, but I could not see his face because his head

went to the lobby for a drink of water but never made it back to his

faded into the shadows. My blood ran hot and cold; sweat trickled

seat. Legend has it that the man suffered a heart attack after making

down my back as I stood there frozen in place like a popsicle on a

his way down the winding staircase en route to the old fountains

stick. An eerie aura surrounded the man as he began to move towards

that are built into the structure of the pillars. Years later, audience

me. His arms floated slowly upward, as if reaching for the ceiling.

members began reporting stories about a mysterious figure of a man

Suddenly, the room was filled with a white glow of light, and then it

lingering near the water fountain and reportedly disappeared into thin

turned dark again just as quickly. What was probably only a moment

air when called to.

seemed like an eternity. I ran up the stairs and out the door. Standing among the crowds on the sidewalk, I felt safe, but from what?”

Other close encounters of the spooky kind include rumors that two construction workers who worked on the original structure of the

Theatres are among the most common places for paranormal activity

Plaza Theatre fell to their death from atop scaffolding. During the mid

(following mausoleums and aged castles), with the combination of

1950s, the Plaza Theatre’s assistant manager recalled claims from the

superstition, drama, spirit that goes into live performance serving as a

janitorial staff that they repeatedly heard the sound of tools falling off

perfect witch’s brew for haunted happenings.

the walls by themselves and other strange noises from the building’s cavernous basement long after the theatre was closed for the night.

If part of the appeal of attending live theatre is the camaraderie of the audience, then guests at The Plaza Theatre can rest assured that

Theatre workers have often claimed to hear eerie footsteps late at

they’ll never be alone -- in life and in spirit.

night. An apprentice sign painter named Pete Flores was so spooked 6

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El Paso’s

d e t i r Spi ry o t s i HAlive T

in the Magoffin Home

| By: ERIN COULEHAN photography by: JOHN HORTA |

he legacy of the Magoffin family in El

Magoffin served in the Civil War and later

Joseph and Octavia Magoffin moved into The

Paso lives on through its rich history,

returned to El Paso with his family, where he

Magoffin Home in 1877, which was erected

landmark structures, and contributions

became instrumental in the development of

on property obtained by Magoffin’s father

El Paso and the surrounding area.

while El Paso was still a small frontier town,

that continue to resound throughout the

reports the Texas Historical Commission.

community. Joseph Magoffin was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and educated in the

Magoffin’s contributions include helping to

southern U.S. before moving to El Paso

bring in railroads, utilities, and new businesses

The home is an adobe structure that is

in 1856 to joining the family business,

that were a catalyst to the transformation into

emblematic

Magoffinsville, his father’s mercantile shop.

the metroplex El Paso is today.

Territorial architecture in the Southwest,

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of

traditional

Spanish

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the Magoffin Home

THE CITY SPACES HOME & DESIGN

but is also contains architectural allusions to Greek Revival style that was in vogue in the U.S. at the time.

The exterior is composed of adobe bricks that between two and three feet thick, while the interior walls are roughly two feet thick.

Additionally within the interior, the ceilings in the north and east wings of the home are made milled wood beams that were transported from New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains via wagon. The floors of the home is hardwood, with a handful of the tongues and grooves laid directly onto the ground.

The Magoffin Home was a magnificent feat of construction that was lauded by local media, and the architecture and interior design continue to whisper the family’s history to modern visitors.

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the Magoffin Home

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THE CITY SPACES HOME & DESIGN

fruit orchards, vegetable beds, grass plats

“First of all, it’s an old home and that’s always

“So if you have sound coming from under

and small grain divisions,” The El Paso Times

important to keep in mind with old homes,”

the ground above the building, you’re going

reported in 1887.

says Machelle Wood, Education and Public

to hear it and it’s going to bounce off all of

Programs Coordinator at the Magoffin Home

those thick walls,” says Wood.

Members of the Magoffin family lived in

State Historic Site, which is part of the Texas

the home for more than 100 years, with

Historical Commission.

descendants

serving

in

the

The Magoffin Home serves as a museum that is open and accessible to the public, as

Mexican-

well as its outdoor areas.

American War, Civil War, Spanish-American

Wood has more than a decade of experience

War, the Pershing Expedition, as well as

in historic preservation, with an emphasis

World Wars I and II.

on finishes.

Today, guests can glean a sense of the

“One of the things I’ve learned over the

that we maintain and is some of the most

different generations who inhabited the

years,” she says, “is the Magoffin Home

peaceful grounds in downtown El Paso,”

home as different spaces reflect unique time

is absolutely no different than other old

says Wood.

periods that range from 1890 to 1930.

buildings that have quirks like creaky floors,

“We have an acre and a half of beautiful land that we keep as an homage to the Magoffins

The Magoffin Home and family have inspired

and doors that don’t open or close the right

Wood invites those interested in the history

way.”

-- haunted, or otherwise -- to visit and promises quirkiness.

people and local lore spanning the late 19th to early 21st centuries, some claiming

Wood says other reports of spooky sounds

the iconic home is haunted after reporting

can be attributed to old plumbing systems.

“If you think that you’re experiencing weirdness in the Magoffin Home,” says

mysterious noises.

The original plumbing dates back to the 1800s

Wood, “keep in mind it’s an old building and

But it seems the home is more spirited

and the house was not built on a foundation,

is going to be weird.”

than haunted.

which causes sounds reverberate throughout the adobe structure.

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COLLABORATORS INTERIORS: PAMELA DAILEY AND LAKE|FLATO ARCHITECTS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: TEN EYCK LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS GENERAL CONTRACTOR: THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE

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r a T l u Fall 2022

Homage to the Elements | By: ERIN COULEHAN photography by: CASEY DUNN |

THE CITY SPACES HOME & DESIGN

he spectacular and formidable diversity of El Paso’s topography is the inspiration and cornerstone of the Courtyard House, which was designed to compeiment the Chihuahuan Desert and the gray basalt landscape at

the base of the Franklin Mountains.

The home is an homage to its surrounding elements.

The Franklin Mountain range is a vestige of the planet’s earliest eon, and comprises 1.25 billion-year-old Precambrian rocks -- the oldest in the state of Texas. Quartz mining that occurred more recently in the region creates a sparkly glint as the crystals reflect off the mountains, lambent in the glow of the El Paso sunshine.

The Courtyard House was completed in 2020 and designed to correspond to the existing natural landscape situated adjacent to the homeowner’s existing cast-in-place concrete residence and was conceived to be a space for both living and entertaining.

The original house was first owned by a single homeowner who later expanded the property once he married and started a family.

The homeowner purchased the lot behind the house once it was available so the family could reside in the main house, and entertain behind the home.

The 11,000 square foot interior of the new structure features two offices, a gym, and a large garage for car collecting. The interior walls are made of quarter-sawn walnut and slatted wood ceilings that create an interesting contrast between the exterior surfaces.

Lake|Flato Architects recommended erecting another structure made of concrete, stone, and Corten steel that featured a courtyard to connect the two buildings.

“One of the things that we tried to do,” says Steve Raike, Principal Designer on the project, “is to create an environment where the owner would have a great deal of privacy even though they’re in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. We wanted to create a building that was inwardly-focused and created a really wonderful setting for the family that was based on a connection to the landscape and using the buildings to effectively act as an element that would provide both buffer from neighbors, but also be a wonderful backdrop to the landscape of the courtyard in the center of the design.”

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A S p e c ta c u l a r H o m a g e t o t h e E l e m e n t s

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The sunken courtyard is 7000 square feet and has a multitude of functionality that includes storm water retention and is defined by

“If you think about architecture as a series of spaces with thresholds that mediate between those spaces, the landscape design is very similar to that.”

gabion walls. The courtyard is also the cornerstone of recreation that includes a pool, orchard, outdoor kitchen, and 8-foot overhangs that shade expanses of glass.

“If you think about architecture as a series of spaces with thresholds that mediate between those spaces,” says Raike, “the landscape design is very similar to that.”

Ultimately, the different thresholds create a cohesive design that connects the buildings through materials, textures, and aesthetics.

“It’s a really thoughtful integration of materials, spaces, and thresholds that allow one space to flow to the next, but also make you very aware of the transition between each space so that moving through the space is a special experience,” says Raike.

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