- City:
- Artesia, NM
- Site Type:
- City and Town Halls, Education and Health, Civic Facilities, Military and Public Safety, Libraries, Auxiliary Civic Facilities, Courthouses (State & Local), Police Stations
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works Administration (PWA), Public Works Funding
- Started:
- 1938
- Completed:
- 1939
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The former combination city hall and library in Artesia, New Mexico was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1939. The PWA provided a $13,975 grant for the project, whose total cost was $31,250. Construction began at the end of December 1938 and the building was completed in July 1939.
Artesia Walking Tour:
[The building] brought several City departments together under the same roof, including the City Clerk, City Manager, and the Public Library. The WPA Sewing Room also was there, as well as an assembly room for public meetings. In later years, the Police and Fire departments were housed in the building along with a United States Navy recruiting office, the municipal courts, and even the state meat inspector. The City outgrew the building in the early 1960s and moved to its current location on Texas Avenue. The building has been under private ownership since then, and is utilized as office space.”
PWA Docket No. NM [X]1127
Note: This project is sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Source notes
Plaque
Artesia Walking Tour Map, Artesia Chamber of Commerce:
https://www.artesiachamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ArtesiaWalkingBro2020-WEB.pdf (accessed Mar. 21, 2022)
Site originally submitted by Evan Kalish on March 21, 2022.
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