Neighborhoods and Shared Memories: Sunset Heights

Sitting to the northwest of downtown, Sunset Heights is one of the first historic suburban neighborhoods in El Paso, Texas. The area is about one mile long, and one and half miles across. It is arguably defined by having its eastern boundary end at N. Mesa street (Idaho St.) and its Northeast boundary at Schuster avenue. However, the far-stretching story of this neighborhood is not conclusive. In the mid-19th century, this particular tract of land was considered part of Simeon Hart’s property. In fact, previous settlements existed before any person received a deed to this tract of land. By the late nineteenth century, the city was a burgeoning metropolis in the middle of a dusty desert with a constant influx of new residents. Sunset Heights was no monolith. Yet, it was defined by commonalities loosely agreed upon by its residents. Some describe the neighborhood as culturally diverse where during the turn of the 20th century its connections to trade, commerce, and migration are still visible today. In the 1880’s, John Fisher Satterthwaite purchased land and within a few short years had developed nearly 100 homes within the footprint. According to land and deed records, this area was called the "Satterthwaite Addition.” To Satterthwaite’s misfortune, he lost the addition by 1894. The name, "Sunset Heights," was given to the area in 1901, after the El Paso Herald held a contest for the best name for the neighborhood. The architecture is a medley of styles: from the great houses designed in American Foursquare to modest brick bungalows. In 1984, with the help of longtime Sunset Heights resident, John Karr, the neighborhood received historic designation. This exhibition focuses on a thematic overview that covers one of El Paso’s most historic neighborhoods through its focus on The People: You Are My Neighbor, Religion: Jewish Settlement and Catholic Community, Politics: City Building, Political Refuge and Migration, Architecture: All the Revivals and Prairie and Educational Significance: Public and Private during the early decades of the settlement. In Neighborhoods and Shared Memories: Sunset Heights, the El Paso Museum of History is pleased to reveal treasured objects meticulously sourced from the permanent collections of The El Paso Museum of History and The El Paso Museum of Art.