St. George Orthodox Church
El Paso, Texas

Description: St. George Orthodox Church
Other Names: Westminster Presbyterian Church
Address: 915 North Florence Street, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Type: religious: church
Original Client: Westminster Presbyterian congregation
Historic Inventory:
Date: 1910-1911
Condition: extant; in use as a church

Architect or Firm: Trost & Trost
Associated Architect or Firm:
Contractors:
Dimensions and Orientation: 74 feet x 74 feet, 8 inches; faces north; mission style
Budget/Cost: $25,000

Foundation: concrete
Wall Materials: brick, stuccoed
Roofing Materials: Spanish tile
Other Materials Used: wood roof and porch brackets
Remodeling and Additions: a large L shaped addition to rear and south side

Present Owner: St. George congregation
Location of Drawings:
Location of Documentary Photographs: El Paso Public Library, Ponsford 191, view from tower side; El Paso Presbyterian Church 350, 350-A, general view; A5804 and A5215, view of side; 517

Bibliography: (1) Trost & Trost Architects (El Paso, Trost & Trost, 1907), page 11, “Episcopal Church” is a preliminary drawing for this Westminster Presbyterian Church
(2) Lloyd C. Engelbrecht and June Marie F. Engelbrecht, Henry C. Trost: Architect of the Southwest (El Paso: El Paso Public Library Association, 1981), page 80, essay, page 81, illustration
(3) El Paso Herald October 2, 1911 page 7

Remarks: The chancel burned in 1940 when the church was struck by lightning, and again in 1958 from a fire accidentally set. During the restorations from these fires, most of the window areas were filled in.

October 15, 1911 was the date for the opening of services for the new Westminster Presbyterian church at Rio Grande and Florence streets. The formal dedication services was to come at a later date.
Prepared for the El Paso Public Library by Lloyd C. and June F. Engelbrecht under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1990