On Saturday morning, the State Board of Review of the Texas Historical Commission voted unanimously in favor of the creation of the Segundo Barrio National Register Historic District in the heart of El Paso.

During the meeting, no opponents addressed the board of directors, while El Paso County Commissioner David Stout of District 2, historian Cynthia Renteria, Fr Raphael Garcia of the Church of the Sacred Heart, Sito Negron and Max Grossman.

The next step after the vote will be to forward the nomination to the National Park Service in Washington DC for final approval. Preservation officials add that if all goes well, the neighborhood will be created before the end of this year.

The project to create a Historic District of the Downtown National Register and a Historic District of the National Register of Segundo Barrio was unanimously approved by the El Paso County Commissioners Court on February 8, 2016 .

In 2017, the county conducted an architectural study of downtown El Paso and adjacent barrios as a necessary step.

Officials add that hundreds of buildings in the district will soon become eligible for state and federal tax credits for restoration and rehabilitation.

According to the El Paso History Alliance, federal and state tax credits could cover up to 45% of the cost of the restoration. There will be no additional regulatory burden for homeowners who do not wish to use the credits. They add that at present there is only one building in the entire neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tax credits will be crucial for the restoration of the Church of the Sacred Heart, an ambitious project that is in the fundraising stage.

The Historic District was one of twelve nominations accepted by council, ranging from a railroad trestle in Austin to buildings in Houston and San Antonio, to entire portions of downtown Palestine and Palmville. .