El Paso Water has officially opened its brand-new $55 million administrative headquarters, welcoming personnel into a contemporary office facility designed to centralize its municipal utility operations in East El Paso. The opening represents a major operational transition for the city-run water provider, establishing a modern administrative presence along Hawkins Boulevard.
The newly unveiled three-story building serves as the centerpiece of a wider $70 million campus redevelopment program. In addition to the $55 million construction cost dedicated to the primary office facility, the comprehensive project budget encompasses the active demolition of the utility’s outdated administrative building, the construction of a dedicated 146-space parking garage, and extensive landscaping across the property.
According to figures and background provided by El Paso Water, the multi-million-dollar capital undertaking is funded entirely through revenues generated by customers of the city government-operated utility. The investment reflects a major modernization of public utility infrastructure, providing long-term administrative facilities for the municipal entity.
The expanded campus is situated at 1154 Hawkins Boulevard, placing the municipal utility in the heart of East-Central El Paso’s retail and commercial district. The four-acre site is located directly adjacent to the Fountains at Farah shopping center and sits directly across the roadway from the Cielo Vista Mall.
As the new office building begins daily operations, demolition work is actively proceeding right next door to tear down the utility’s longtime administrative home. Heavy machinery and warning signs currently surround the demolition site, with utility planners anticipating that the full razing of the old structure will be completed by October.
The building currently being torn down holds extensive history for the municipal utility. Prior to El Paso Water acquiring and occupying the facility in 1992, the structure functioned as a commercial bank. For more than three decades, the former bank building served as the central hub for water administration before reaching the end of its useful lifecycle.
Once the legacy structure is completely cleared away, the space will be transformed rather than left as vacant paved ground. Project plans designate that extensive landscaping will be installed across the footprint of the former bank building, creating cohesive outdoor green spaces that tie together the entire four-acre utility campus.
The entire redevelopment effort is slated to reach final completion in February, when all remaining exterior site work, greenery installations, and related structural touches are finalized. The timeline caps an extensive construction process that first began when ground was broken on the three-story office building in January 2024.
Utility personnel have already transitioned into their new work environment ahead of the surrounding site completion. Approximately 260 employees officially relocated to the new office complex in late July, allowing staff to settle into modern offices while demolition crews commenced structural teardown on the adjacent lot.
Designed with future operational requirements in mind, the new headquarters offers expanded room for municipal administrative functions. Utility officials noted that the facility has been engineered to accommodate approximately 290 full-time employees, providing flexibility for personnel needs within the central facility.
While the Hawkins Boulevard complex acts as the administrative core for leadership and office staff, El Paso Water continues to maintain a workforce across several other operational sites and facilities throughout the city to support ongoing utility delivery and field operations.
The execution of the multi-million-dollar project involved a collaborative group of architectural, engineering, and construction firms. General contracting operations were managed by Hensel Phelps Construction Co., a national builder based out of Greeley, Colorado.
The architectural design of the modern three-story headquarters was jointly produced by local firm Exigo Architecture of El Paso and Lake Flato Architects of San Antonio. Together, the design teams crafted a structure tailored to utility needs while modernizing the property's architectural profile along the Hawkins corridor.
Site aesthetics and exterior environments are being guided by Austin-based Ten Eyck Landscape Architecture. The firm is responsible for crafting the landscape design that will replace the footprint of the 1992 building and enhance open spaces across the campus.
With 260 employees already on site, demolition progressing toward its autumn deadline, and final landscaping set for completion in February, the project marks the conclusion of a 34-year era at the former bank building and the start of a new chapter for the city-run utility.
(0)