El Chuco! The home of El Paso street photography
A site devoted to street photography of El Paso, Texas and surrounding areas.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Original South El Paso Street façade
Generations of layers of paint on this original South El Paso Street façade.
Photo taken July 11, 2023
Monday, July 10, 2023
Southwest University Stadium walkway mural detail (Artwork by Los Dos)
Southwest University Stadium walkway mural detail. You'll see this very large-scale work at the back of the stadium. Artwork by the excellent husband-and-wife team, Los Dos.
Friday, March 10, 2023
Monday, September 24, 2018
Rasputin Men's Wear, 316 South Stanton Street
Friday, August 27, 2010
La Granja Plaza, 7252 Alameda Avenue
This amazing chicken stands proudly atop La Granja Plaza ("The Farm Plaza") on Alameda, almost directly across from the Sun Valley Motel (see photo below). While trying to confirm the address of La Granja Plaza, I stumbled upon the following website, which features tons of photos of chicken signs across the United States (including La Granja Plaza's!). Check it out!
Chicken Signs
Sun Valley Motel, 7229 Alameda Avenue
Alameda Avenue is home to some of the best signs in the city. These types of sign are disappearing across the United States and have been for some time. They are truly an art form, and are so much more dynamic than the cheap backlighted signs that are so prevalent. Those businesses that are luck enough to have these types should do everything they can to preserve them. This great sign is for the Sun Valley Motel, located at 7229 Alameda.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Beck and Tom Waits
Stumbled on this cool conversation on Beck's Web site, between Mr. Hansen and another favorite of mine — Tom Waits! Even cooler — Beck talks about the impromptu performance at the Black Market here in El Paso a few years ago! I was lucky enough to be there...look for the pics on this blog!
Beck & Tom Waits conversation
Beck & Tom Waits conversation
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Oscar's Thee Barber Shop, Alameda
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tom Waits...Dear El Paso....
Hello fellow El Pasoans...this message is to IMPLORE you to go to the Tom Waits concert at the Plaza Theatre on June 20.
Those of you that know me know that I've been a Waits maniac for about 20 years, and this is truly a special show to come to El Paso. He's the top artist on my living-musicians-to-see-before-I-die list. His songwriting is riveting.
He tours very infrequently. People come from Europe and across the country to see him perform. His shows ALWAYS sell out. And we need that to happen right here in El Paso.
Again, this is a truly special show. Tickets CANNOT be purchased at the door. Only at Ticketmaster.
Several musicians cite Waits as their favorite performer. Several have covered him (Los Lobos, Bruce Springsteen, even actress Scarlett Johanssen just did an ENTIRE ALBUM of Waits covers)!
PLEASE GO!!!!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Beck plays unannounced show at Black Market's Dia de los Muertos art show!
Here's one that will go down in El Paso lore. Beck played an unannounced, impromptu gig at El Paso's own Black Market. I was heading to the Black Market for the Dia de los Muertos art show anyway, and got a tip from my buddy Zach Passero that Beck was there and was going to play a short gig. I didn't have a camera with me; I was at a store getting a new battery for my car. I quickly snapped up a $5 idiot camera and squeezed into the show. Beck played a 45-minute set on borrowed instruments, kicking it off with "Black Tambourine." Other songs included "Where It's At," "Devil's Haircut, "Que Onda Guero?, "Nicotine and Gravy," "Hell Yes" and tracks from his new album, The Information. Sorry for the image quality, but luckily Zach had his digital SLR with his, and promised to get me some photos to post. Wow! What a great night!!!!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Happy Dia de los Muertos!
Happy Dia de los Muertos! Check out special Dia de los Muertos El Paso celebration photos at: http://www.diasdemuertos.com
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Dave's Pawn Shop, 216 South El Paso Street
Dave's Pawn Shop is one of the most fascinating places in El Paso. Outside the store, you'll be greeted by Elvis and Elwood and Jake Blues. Vintage Presley croons over the store's loudspeaker. In the windows, there are skulls, snakes, mannequins, watches and the classic "Trigger Finger of Pancho Villa" and "Heart of a Baby Vampire" props (and they DO look real!). Inside, the store is a true antiquarium, and would certainly be right in place for a Tom Waits video. Skeletons (yes, these ones ARE real), watches, cameras, vintage musical equipment, Nazi paraphernalia, stuffed and mounted animals, voodoo items — there's so much to see and so little room to see it. The cashiers' area is behind a vintage bank vault. Definitely make Dave's Pawn Shop a visit — it's the kind of place that makes downtown El Paso so fascinating.
Another interesting fact: Dave’s Pawn Shop is El Paso’s last surviving false-front structure. The one-part commercial building is a simple box with a decorated wood façade and cornice. The architectural style of small, pitched-roof buildings with false fronts created the commercial core of the new western towns during the mid-19th century. The original decorative cornice can still be seen above the remodeled store front.
—paragraph from the City of El Paso's Walking Tour of Downtown. See link below, which shows a picture of the building from the 1880s. Photos taken October 11, 2006.
Walking Tour of El Paso - False Front
Store sign, Gran Mercado, 416 South El Paso Street
Colón Mercado (formerly the Colón Theater), 507 South El Paso Street
Colón Mercado (formerly the Colón Theater), 507 South El Paso Street. This is one of the true great façades in El Paso. Note the 1930s-era roof. The theater screened Spanish language films. El Paso author Denise Chávez has written about "El Colón" in her acclaimed novel Loving Pedro Infante.
Denise Chávez link
Photo taken October 11, 2006.
Denise Chávez link
Photo taken October 11, 2006.
Office of John Wesley Hardin (Wells Fargo Building in the 1890s, now Alamo Shooters Supply), 100 East San Antonio Avenue
Alamo Shooters Supply, 100 East San Antonio Avenue. In the 1890s, this was the home of the Wells Fargo Building, and is one of the oldest buildings in downtown El Paso. On the third floor, the room behind the window in the northeast portion of this photograph served as gunfighter John Wesley Hardin's law office for a scant few months until he was killed by Constable John Selman in the Acme Saloon, literally two blocks away. See related photos in this blog. Photo taken October 11, 2006.
Office of John Wesley Hardin (Wells Fargo Building in the 1890s), 100 East San Antonio Avenue.
UPDATE: Sadly, this building burned down a couple of years ago.
Cowboy sign and mannequin, Starr Western Wear, 112 East Overland Avenue
Cowboy sign and mannequin head, Starr Western Wear, 112 East Overland Avenue. The cowboy Levi's sign has been a staple of downtown El Paso for decades. The mannequin head looks like it's from the 1950s or 60s (sorry for the blurry photo here... I'll retake one soon). Inside Starr Western Wear, you'll find wooden floors, a huge selection of jeans, cowboy hats, western apparel and photos of celebrities that have visited the store. Photo taken October 11, 2006.
Mannequin heads, Jin-Hee Wholesale, 513 South El Paso Street
Snack vendor, corner of El Paso Street and Overland Avenue
Wall art, above J.K. Tennis, 221 South Stanton
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Happy Halloween from El Chuco!
Here's a cool witch painted on the window of the Dollar Plus Discount store at 227 East San Antonio Avenue (see other photos of the building in this blog). Have a great Halloween, and hope to see some of y'all at the Dia de los Muertos celebrations that will be going throughout El Chuco later this month (and early November)! Photo taken October 5, 2006.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Great photos from a fellow El Chuco photographer
I received a nice email from Chacal la Chaise, who is also posting great photos and a blog from right here in El Chuco. Check them out!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chacal/
http://chacal-la-chaise.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chacal/
http://chacal-la-chaise.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 25, 2006
White Elephant Bowling Lanes, 1011 East Overland Avenue
The White Elephant Bowling Lanes closed at least ten years ago, earlier I think. I never got to bowl here, but the White Elephant, along with the Red Rooster Bowling Lanes near Five Points were two seriously old-school lanes. The White Elephant, I believe, dated back to the 1930s, and had only six lanes. The lanes themselves closed long before the delish dive restaurant that was attached to it. The lane area itself looked like it hadn't changed a bit in 60 years. Photos taken August 25, 2006.
Fat Boy Hamburgers, 911 East Paisano
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