Hunt Cos., WestStar Bank Top Out Landmark Tower

WestStar Tower. Image courtesy of Hunt Cos.

The tallest building in El Paso, Texas, has topped off. Developers Hunt Cos. Inc. and WestStar Bank have reached the construction milestone for the 18-story WestStar Tower that will be completed in early 2021.

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Once fully built, WestStar Tower will be the tallest building in El Paso at 313 feet and 6 inches. The partners broke ground on the major development in June 2018 with a project team consisting of Duda|Paine Architects, design firm Gensler, landscape architects OJB and construction company Moss. 

WestStar Tower is located at 601 N. Mesa St. and fills an entire city block bordered by Mesa Street, Missouri Avenue, Oregon Street and Wyoming Avenue. The Class A office high-rise will offer 264,000 square feet of rentable space split into 22,000-square-foot floorplates, but tenants can take up anywhere from 3,500 square feet to an entire floor. WestStar will also include 12,000 square feet of ground-floor office and retail space, as well as 850 parking spaces in an integrated parking garage across floors two through eight.

Hunt and WestStar also aim to achieve LEED certification after incorporating LED lighting throughout the property, drought tolerant and water efficient landscaping, electrical car charging stations and other green features. The office amenities will include a green space with outdoor seating and dining areas that can also be used as a venue for community events. Moreover, the building features a crested architectural element that imitates the nearby Franklin Mountains and the surrounding desert landscape. 

Situated in downtown El Paso, WestStar Tower will be located near Southwest University Park, the Museum District and San Jacinto Plaza, while having access to nearby public transportation through the new El Paso Streetcar.

Building its new headquarters

WestStar Tower already has its first tenants as Hunt will be moving its corporate headquarters into the building, taking up three floors for its 175 employees. The Hunt Family Foundation, a foundation that supports not-for-profits in the Paso del Norte region, will also move into the new office tower.

Like Hunt, WestStar Bank committed early to moving its corporate headquarters into the El Paso office after the project’s groundbreaking in 2018. WestStar will take four floors and a full-service branch on the ground floor, making room for 229 of its employees. Preleasing for WestStar Tower is underway, with Sunny Brown & Associates in charge of finding more tenants for the upcoming office space.