The exciting transformation of the Kress Department Store building into a vibrant entertainment hub is underway, with completion planned in time for Winterfest 2026.
Officials with Paul Foster's Franklin Mountain Investments provided a behind-the-scenes media tour Monday, Oct. 5, to showcase how the Kress building will return to its luxurious and modern glory, with a hopping food hall and two retailers on the first floor. Work on a private theater and sports bar on the second floor is planned for a future date. There will be a spa in the basement, connected to the Plaza Hotel across the street.
"It's pretty far along and we just need to put the finishing touches on it. The vendors are super excited about it, and I think as people learn more about it, the city
will start to get excited," said William Kell, chief operating officer for Franklin Mountain Investments.
"So many El Pasoans have a memory, me included, of coming down here," he said. "We used to buy plastic model cars and with my friend put them together. They had a good-sized toy section here, so I think we're going to hear those kinds of stories over and over."
Foster held the groundbreaking ceremonyfor the renovation project in April 2023, when the renovation began.
Kell said the exterior of the building, built in Art Deco style with Spanish-Moorish and Mayan and Southwest regional accents, has been in good shape.
"The canopy is being restored, and the original awnings are being refurbished right now, and we polished the copper band and redid the lighting, but the exterior is not really changing," he said. "The exterior is very similar to what it was originally."
The interior, however, was in terrible condition, having not been maintained for years, officials said.
Inside the 15,000-square-foot space, the food hall is coming together with restored historic chandeliers, terracotta Spanish-Mediterranean tile on the counter walls, and a diner counter with a soda fountain reminiscent of the original Kress counter, where hundreds of El Pasoans stopped for lunch during the building's shopping heyday. Neon signs will also be added over each food vendor space.
Robert Monarez, senior vice president of Food and Beverage, said they conducted extensive research while planning the food hall. They visited about 15 to 20 food halls across the country and learned that there are about 450 in the U.S., with about nine in Texas, including one in El Paso.
The officials did not want to disclose who the vendors will be yet, but said they will be local vendors offering different types of food, including pizza, Mexican, Asian, and barbecue. Families with different palates can split up, order food at various businesses, and then come together to eat at nearby tables.
The retailers will be selling sports-related merchandise and other items. A corner space will be used for a bakery and coffee shop. Seating capacity for the venue will be about 300.
Kell said the new Kress building will showcase the best of El Paso and be a great tourist destination. Among the unique features will be an alligator-themed bar near one of the entrances, in tribute to the alligators that once lived at San Jacinto Plaza.
"It's going to be great for El Pasoans and fabulous for tourists because it gives them something else to do and to see," he said.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Historic Kress building set for new entertainment hub in El Paso
