Carvings at O.T. Bassett Tower Entrance

The picture shows the entrance of the O.T. Bassett Tower. Charles N. Bassett built the Bassett Tower in 1929-1930 as a memorial to his father, Oscar T. Bassett, a pioneer El Pasoan who was one of the founders of El Paso’s first bank, The State National Bank of El Paso. Henry C. Trost was commissioned to design the building. The entrance door is decorated with nice carvings, amongst others five faces. The one in the middle, a balding, round-faced man with a walrus mustache is Henry Trost himself; however, there’s a chance that it is the senior Bassett. Probably it’s just some balding, round-faced man, with a gesture typical of Trost’s sense of humor.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: Leo Miletich

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History