Sad History Of Abandoned Northeast El Paso Country Club

You may be familiar with the El Paso and Coronado Country Clubs but did you know El Paso had one in the northeast? Despite its elegance and stunning view, it didn't last long.

There have been several country clubs in and around El Paso. The El Paso and Coronado Country Clubs are still going strong as is the Anthony Country Club.

The Mt. Franklin Country Club in northeast El Paso came and went about 100 years ago. It was a beautiful, very cool setup ... for a couple of years. Then it became a sanitorium and now may soon be lost forever.

The Mt. Franklin Country Club was built in 1916 on the northeast slope of the Franklin Mountains. It sits on the lower slope, between Alabama and Dyer, a little south of the former Great American Steakhouse.

What Happened To Mt. Franklin Country Club?

Construction began on a 134 acre plot of land in April of 1916 and was completed by Thanksgiving. (Why can't TXDoT do anything that fast?) The club was amazing, the height of glamor and glory with open air atriums and an indoor rifle range; complete with rifles. As incredible as it was, it was doomed and closed in just under 3 years.

"However, in a very short period of time they realized it could not compete with the busy and prestigious El Paso Country Club just a couple of miles to the south, closer to the city. By May of 1918 they filed for bankruptcy and had to sell the furniture and fixtures."  (Quote via Facebook) See a pic of it in its glory days here.

The Tuberculosis Epidemic

In May of 1918, all the land and the buildings were sold/donated to the Southern Baptist Church who used it/them as a huge Sanatorium. The 1900's saw a huge tuberculosis pandemic hit the area ... that's why Southwest General Hospital was first built ... and the city was all about accepting the church's offer to bring another sanitorium to the area. Now, it sits empty and abandoned.

Ironically, in a true showing of care and concern for others, the members, officers and owners of the Mt. Franklin Country Club apparently rallied to lead the charge in terms of helping secure funds to transform their club into the new sanitorium. Read more of its history here ...

I'm not sure when the sanitorium closed its doors but, since then, the buildings ... plural, some have been added over the years to the original country club building ... were used as a publishing house by the Southern Baptist Church.

The Future Of The Former Mt. Franklin Country Club

It currently sits empty and boarded up ... for now. It may soon become a new water reservoir. There are several homes abutting the former country club so; I'm not sure how that will work. If it's one of those massive tanks, it will surely ruin the look of the area and block at least some nearby residents current view.

READ MORE: Buildings Lost In El Paso & What Happened To Them

Hopefully someone will refurbish the building and find it a new use. Apartments/condos maybe? The beautiful location and amazing view the site was chosen for in the first place are still there and still just as amazing.