WestStar Tower

Class A Office Building in El Paso, Texas

31°45′43″N 106°29′24″W / 31.76195°N 106.49009°W / 31.76195; -106.49009Construction started2018Opened2021Cost$85 million ^[1] (estimated)Height314 ft (96 m)Technical detailsFloor count20Floor area262,000 sq ft (24,300 m²)Design and constructionArchitect(s)Duda|PaineMain contractorMoss

The WestStar Tower (alternatively the WestStar Tower at Hunt Plaza) is a high-rise located at 601 North Mesa Street in Downtown El Paso, Texas. It was completed in 2021 and surpassed the Wells Fargo Plaza as the tallest building in El Paso, with a height of 314 ft (96 m).^[2] The tower has 20 stories in total. Covering an entire city block, the tower has a ground-level park area, outdoor seating and dining, and about 262,000 square feet (24,300 m²) of Class A+ office space.^[3] Alongside this, it also has 13,000 square feet (1,200 m²) of office and retail space on the ground floor. On completion, the building was the first skyscraper above 300 feet built in El Paso for nearly 50 years.^[4]

History

2018

June–December

On June 20, 2018, Hunt Companies and WestStar announced the groundbreaking of a multi-level, multi-tenant Class A office high-rise skyscraper in Downtown El Paso.^[5] The land on which the tower would be built, formerly a parking lot between Mesa Street and Missouri Avenue, was cleared for building. The tower will become the new corporate headquarters for Hunt and WestStar.
On December 20, 2018, construction went vertical on the tower.

2019

January–February

The ground floor of the tower is completed in early February.

2020

January–April

In early March, the estimated completion date of the tower was moved to winter 2020. This date was further changed to early 2021.

May

On May 21, the last steel beam was placed on the tower.

Tenants

Corralito Steakhouse^[6]^[7]
The first restaurant tenant to occupy space in the building will be Corralito Steakhouse, a local restaurant, occupying 4,000 of the about 13,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Corralito has multiple other locations in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.
Hunt Companies (corporate headquarters)^[8]
Hunt will move its corporate headquarters to the new WestStar Tower. The Hunt Family Foundation will also be located in the tower.
WestStar (corporate headquarters)
WestStar, the building's namesake, will operate a full service banking facility at the tower. The tower will also become the corporate headquarters for the company. WestStar is a local banking company that operates in Ciudad Juárez, Las Cruces, and El Paso.

References

^ Kolenc, Vic (June 21, 2018). "El Paso's $85 million WestStar Tower office building should be finished by summer 2020". El Paso Times.
^ weststartower.com - December 20, 2018. Construction Goes Vertical on WestStar Tower at Hunt Plaza Scheduled To Open Late 2020 Archived 2020-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
^ Williams, Taylor (April 26, 2019). "El Paso's Office Market Announces Its Arrival Through WestStar Tower". RE Business Online. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020.
^ "Wells Fargo Plaza". VirtualGlobetrotting. March 7, 2012.
^ weststartower.com - June 20, 2018. Hunt and WestStar Bank Break Ground on High Rise Project El Paso Downtown Business Community Celebrates
^ weststartower.com - June 10, 2019. Corralito Restaurant to Open at WestStar Tower
^ "Corralito Restaurant To Open At WestStar Tower". KFOX-14. June 10, 2019. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020.
^ "Construction Goes Vertical on WestStar Tower at Hunt Plaza - Scheduled To Open Late 2020". Hunt Companies. December 20, 2018.