2025 | Newly Completed Historic Preservation

“Constructed as an elite apartment hotel in 1930, The Aurora is a rare and special example of a luxury high-rise of its era,” notes principal Beverly Baldwin, AIA, project architect. Our team met the challenge of bringing the aging 11-story tower up to current livability, accessibility, and life-safety standards while preserving the property’s historic character.

In July 2021, the c.1954 El Paso Natural Gas Building, also known as the Blue Flame Building, re-opened to much local fanfare. Alamo Architects, with associate El Paso firm InSitu, led the high-rise retrofit of the prominent 18-story office building for mixed-use redevelopment. The retrofit has given the iconic Blue Flame a second life – and a key role in providing much-needed affordable housing units to the community.

In 2025, the Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) recognized Artisan at Ruiz as the winner of the 2025 AIA-SA CRAN Award for a Multi-Family Structure. “Receiving the CRAN Award for an affordable housing project is a clear win for social justice through equitable housing,” notes Jim Bailey, AIA, Senior Principal. “It means that peers see our belief in public-spirited architecture as important and relevant to current socio-economic conditions.” The Artisan at Ruiz showcases our multi-dimensional understanding of what makes an urban core neighborhood tick – strong cultural roots, aspirational pride, and livability.