For decades, one of the most recognizable features of the El Paso skyline has been the Wells Fargo name glowing from the top of a downtown high rise. Whether you were driving in from the West Side at night or pointing out landmarks to out of town visitors, that sign was a visual anchor. It quietly signaled where downtown began and, in many ways, what downtown was.
Now, that era is officially coming to an end.
Wells Fargo has moved out of the building, and with that departure comes a rare opportunity. Franklin Mountain Properties, the owner of the building and the sign, is actively looking for a new company to put its name on one of the tallest buildings in downtown El Paso. The price tag is $1.25 million for a ten year naming rights agreement.
That figure may sound steep at first glance, but in the world of branding and visibility, it is a surprisingly lean deal. For roughly $125,000 a year, a business would secure constant, unavoidable exposure across the city skyline. This is not a billboard you pass once on your commute. This is a permanent fixture in photos, drone shots, news footage, and the collective mental map of El Paso.
What makes this moment especially interesting is the timing. Downtown El Paso is in the middle of a long term transition. New residential projects, restaurants, offices, and cultural spaces are steadily reshaping how people use and think about the area. Whoever claims that sign next is not just buying advertising space. They are attaching their name to the next chapter of downtown’s identity.
There is also a symbolic weight to the change. The Wells Fargo sign has been part of the skyline for so long that many people barely noticed it anymore. Seeing it replaced will feel unfamiliar at first, maybe even a little strange. But that discomfort is often a signal of growth. Cities evolve, and their landmarks evolve with them.
Soon enough, the name at the top of that building will change. When it does, it will mark more than a new logo in the sky. It will signal a shift in downtown El Paso, and invite everyone to imagine what, and who, comes next.
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