- City:
- Taos, NM
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Courthouses (State & Local)
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Description
“On May 9, 1932, the Taos County Courthouse, along with the other buildings on the north side of the Plaza, was destroyed by one of a series of fires in the early thirties. This led eventually to the incorporation of the Town of Taos in 1939 and the establishment of a fire department and public water system.
The current Spanish-Pueblo style courthouse was built with partial funding from the W.P.A. in 1934. Between 1934 and 1935, interior murals depicting social justice were commissioned by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) Public Works of Art Project for the courtroom on the second floor. Emil Bisttram had studied fresco painting techniques with Diego Rivera in Mexico and enlisted other Taos artists for this project.”
-Hawk Media
Source notes
Originally posted in the New Deal Art Registry: https://www.newdealartregistry.org/
"Taos Historic Walking Tour," Hawk Media
<https://www.hawk-media.com/history15.html>
"Fabulous Murals in the Old County Courthouse," The Architect's Guide to Taos
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