Texas Tech is on the move, and as the school expands throughout the Sun City, it's making use of one historic landmark.

The Albert Fall mansion, also known as the A.B. Fall Building, sat vacant for years and can now claim residence on a college campus.
It is now the new home of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Carlos Flores has lived in Central El Paso his whole life; he's seen the historic home, once an eyesore, transform.

"It was kind of shameful, looking at such a nice building in ruins," said Flores.

The city spent years restoring the Fall mansion, condemned in 2006, to its former glory, worthy of the landmark title.

"They actually did a really nice job with it. Now it looks very nice," said Flores.

It now houses about 20 employees from the communications and marketing department, as well as other administrative offices, for Texas Tech.

"This is definitely a more creative space, which is what I like for my team," said Dr. Laura Gallegos, the senior director for communication and marketing for the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.

The city invested more than $2 million to purchase and restore the house on Arizona Avenue.

"Luckily the city was able to take it over and they have done a wonderful job renovating it and still keeping the integrity of its historic value, which we totally appreciate and are grateful for," Gallegos said.

Right now, the move is temporary until Tech can complete new campus buildings. The university entered into a three-year lease with the city for a dollar a year but is responsible for maintaining the mansion, which could cost up to $50,000.

So far, that dollar a year has gone a long way toward keeping the stray cats away.

"It keeps a lot of the cats out of the home," said Flores.

The new tenants have brought a renewed interest in the landmark.

"They want to know what it's like inside. They've seen the building. They've passed by it, but they've never been able to come in and see what it's like," said Gallegos.

Flores said he has not had a chance to check out the inside of the mansion next door, but will probably go take a peek at the past in the near future.

As part of its agreement with the city, Texas Tech must keep the house open to the public for tours, as well as provide security.