2008, Parkhill, Smith and Cooper, with Shrickel, Rollins and Associates. 7400 High Ridge Dr.
The two large blocks that form this recreation center containing basketball courts and support facilities are bridged with a semicircular entrance, from which walls radiate to enclose meeting and exercise rooms. The center is part of a master plan for a large desert site, partially used for flood control, containing a dog park, baseball parks, and hiking trails. The center’s elemental forms and bold colors, influenced by the work of Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, also convey images of southwestern and Pueblo vernacular without historical mimicry. Much recent commercial, institutional, and residential work in El Paso employs this vocabulary, a “regionalism” distinct from other parts of Texas.