One person was injured when pieces of the eaves fell from a vacant building at the site of the historic Acme Saloon in Downtown El Paso.
The injured person was transported to a hospital with minor injuries after paramedics responded at 11:55 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, to 227 East San Antonio Ave., El Paso Fire Department spokesman Hector Gonzalez said.
Barricades close the sidewalk outside 227 East San Antonio Ave. in El Paso, Texas, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, after falling pieces of the building’s eaves injured one person.
“A portion of the eaves of the building fell and injured an individual, who was transported with minor injuries. Early reports referenced a building collapse, that is not the case,” El Paso city spokeswoman Laura Cruz-Acosta said in an email.
The sidewalk next to the building has been closed off by the El Paso Police Department as a precaution. The incident is under investigation.
Building condition ‘an imminent danger to public safety’
The city’s planning, inspections and code enforcement staff checked the property to determine what will be needed to secure the site and address any safety concerns, Cruz-Acosta said.
The city lists the building’s address as 101 N. Mesa St., at the corner with the address of the incident on San Antonio Avenue.
An inspection by city staff determined that “a portion of the building’s cornice detached due to deteriorated structural connections,” Cruz-Acosta said.
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Pieces fall at Acme Saloon site, Lerner Building in Downtown El Paso
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A San Antonio Avenue street sign hangs in front of the damaged balcony at 227 East San Antonio Ave. in El Paso, Texas, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times)
The situation is “an imminent danger to public safety” because the remaining cornice is unstable and directly above a public sidewalk, which will require that the cornice to be removed, Cruz-Acosta said.
Notices have been posted at the site and will be mailed to the property owner to give the owner an opportunity to address the building’s condition, Cruz-Acosta stated.
The Planning and Inspections department found there are no active permits for work at the building or any permitted activity at the site, she added.
El Paso Central Appraisal records show the building is owned by a company that, in 2022, was tied to El Paso businessman William Abraham. He owned many other Downtown buildings until he lost most of them in bankruptcy several years ago.
Building was site of Acme Saloon
The building at the corner of San Antonio Avenue and North Mesa Street is the site of the former Lerner Store and Acme Saloon.
On Aug. 19, 1895, gunslinger John Wesley Hardin was shot and killed by Constable John Selman at the Acme Saloon, putting an end to the notorious Old West gunfighter.
The original Acme Saloon building, made of wood and adobe, was removed in 1910 for the construction of a new building at the site, according to El Paso Times archives.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
El Paso then, now photos: San Jacinto Plaza, JCPenney, Downtown
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The Two Republics Building at 222 Texas Avenue, then and now. (El Paso Times)
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 1 injured as pieces fall at El Paso site of historic Acme Saloon