New Mexico Sites

Now the Geronimo Station retail unit. Built in 1938. The New Deal cornerstone is located to the left of the building's entrance.

A new post office and federal building was constructed in 1935 in Carlsbad, New Mexico at the northeast corner of W Fox St. and S Halagueno St., with Treasury Department funds. The building had housed an example of New Deal artwork, now housed in the Carlsbad Museum. In 1964 the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported on a time capsule located in the Depression-era building's cornerstone: "Construction workers are tearing down parts of the structure which will become part of a new federal building at the same site. Various Eddy County memorabilia were placed in the box when the cornerstone was laid on April 13,...

"This building was formerly the Gallup Post Office. It was constructed as part of the WPA project and still has the original carved beamed ceilings that are quite unique. This whole building is unique in that it exhibits a mix of several architectural styles, including Mediterranean, Decorative Brick Commercial and Spanish Pueblo Revival. This eclectic approach works very well, however, as the blond brick building is listed in the National Register as being significant architecturally as well as for its association with the civic history of Gallup. Warren Rollins created three large paintings of Indian scenes which hung in this building. Those...

This colorful post office was built in 1934 by the Treasury Department. It is a one-story hollow tile construction with a basement. It has modified Mission-style arches, relief ornamentation and entablature with finials over front entrance, double-leaf front doors, transom covered by row of turned spindles, two gabled skylights. The contractor was Robert E. McKee of El Paso. The building is still standing but was discontinued as post office in mid-1970s. As of Summer 2012, the building is vacant and up for sale.

This distinctive building was constructed by the Treasury Department in the early 1931, just before the New Deal. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is no longer the post office, but the building is still standing and contains a New Deal mural by Paul Lantz. The mural "New Mexican Town" was funded by the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts Program in 1937.

A Section of Fine Arts-sponsored mural entitled "Mountains and Yucca" was painted by Kenneth M. Adams and installed in the Deming, New Mexico post office in 1937. "Originally Andrew Drasburg, a Taos artist, was selected to do the mural for this post office. Unfortunately his poor health kept him from working in the hot climate found in Deming, so when he declined the opportunity he recommended they use Kenneth M. Adams instead. His recommendation was accepted and a pure landscape was done in 1937 by Kenneth M. Adams (1892-1966). Yucca and other local vegetation can be seen in the foreground, while...

The historic Portales post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: a 1938 Section of Fine Arts mural by Theodore Van Soelen entitled "Buffalo Range."

"New Deal mural entitled 'Indian Bear Dance' painted by Boris Deutsch in 1940. Truth or Consequences was known as "Hot Springs" until 1951." (flickr) "Indian Bear Dance, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico Installed in 1938, this 12-foot long, oil on canvas mural by Boris Deutsch is located in the Geronimo Retail Unit, 300 Main Street, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Post Office. The retail unit is open 24 hours a day for postal customers and visitors interested in New Deal art." (about.usps.com)

Two murals were commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) for the former post office in Raton, New Mexico—now the library. The works: "First Mail Crossing Raton Pass," and "Unloading the Mail at Raton," were completed by Joseph Flecks in 1936. "First Mail Crossing Raton Pass" is now located in the retail lobby of the present Raton post office. It is possible the mural was cut to fit its present space.

Two murals were commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) for the former post office in Raton, New Mexico—now the library. The works: "First Mail Crossing Raton Pass," and "Unloading the Mail at Raton," were completed by Joseph Flecks in 1936. "Unloading the Mail at Raton" has been separated from its companion work, and now resides toward the front of the Raton Museum, around the corner from the present post office.

"Pueblo Bonito, the largest and best known Great House in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, northern New Mexico, was built by ancestral Pueblo people and occupied between AD 828 and 1126." (wikipedia) In 1936, the CCC Indian Division (CCC-ID) began an important ruins restoration project. The prehistoric city of Pueblo Bonito had suffered from extreme weather and temperature.  Native Indian workers in the CCC replaced walls and veneer to stabilize the area.The city remains an important site today.

The historic Quay County Courthouse in Tucumcari, New Mexico was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. provided a grant of $98,180 for the project, whose total cost was $218,118. Construction occurred between 1938 and 1939. Two striking reliefs: "Cowboy" and "Train Engineer," are carved into the stone, to the left and right above the front entrance to the courthouse, respectively. The building also houses an example of New Deal artwork within. Landscaping around the building was also undertaken by the W.P.A. P.W.A. Docket No. N.M. 1087

The historic Quay County Courthouse in Tucumcari, New Mexico houses an example of New Deal artwork: "I, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Have Passed This Way and Left my Mark," a 9' x 15' mural created by Ben Carlton Mead. The work was likely commissioned by the Federal Art Project, though further confirmation of the commissioning agency is requested.  

ENMU's Quay Hall was constructed as a New Deal project in 1935-6. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a loan and a grant to cover most of the cost of the project.  

"Early in the 1930s there was a CCC camp in area and they built ... many trails in that wilderness area near Quemado Lake."

The Atlas of Historic New Mexico Maps, produced with assistance from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the New Mexico Chapter of the National New Deal Preservation Association, lists a number of New Deal schools in Raton Kearny Elementary, Longfellow Elementary, Columbian School, and Raton Junior-Senior High School are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Raton Museum houses a substantial collection of W.P.A.-sponsored artwork by way of the Federal Art Project (F.A.P.), in addition to a mural that had been created for the former post office in Raton. Photos of the F.A.P. works are not permitted.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated Camp NP-1-N from 1938 to 1942 at Rattlesnake Springs—now the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District—in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The group conducted substantial work at the site. Bob Hoff's Carlsbad Caverns History Blog: At Rattlesnake Springs, the CCC enrollees built a ranger residence still in use today. They also constructed a service road and a water diversion ditch and constructed masonry work to line the Rattlesnake Springs pond. While National Park Service Landscape Architect Harvey Cornell provided the plans for the CCC camp layout in 1938 it is not clear to what extent CCC enrollees constructed the...

Los Lunas's Raymond Gabaldon Elementary School was constructed using federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor. The building is still in service.

On September 11, 1935, the Grant County Board of Education submitted a WPA proposal to build a new school at Redrock, a farming hamlet on the Gila River, approximately 70 miles southwest of the county seat in Silver City. The board had been busy the summer and into the fall, preparing similar project proposals for far-flung rural school districts. Redrock, separated by a mountain from Silver City, was a remote, thinly populated area closer to Lordsburg (32 miles), the county seat of neighboring Hidalgo County. The Board justified the need for a new school at Redrock, stating in the application that the existing...

On February 12, 1936, the Doña Ana County Board of Education prepared a WPA project proposal to remodel and enlarge an existing school in Rincon, a small farming community on the Rio Grande north of Las Cruces. The project would add onto to an existing one-story, red-brick Mission Revival-style schoolhouse. The Board anticipated it would cost $5,111.20, with the WPA contributing $4,111.20 (WPA OP 65-85-1469). What resulted is a complementary brick addition, with the same pattern of windows and roof type as the original school. The only difference being the source of bricks and the type of sill applied to the windows. The...

From The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties (2004): "The coming of the New Deal and many of the work relief programs funded by the WPA proved to a boon for improving downtown Hot Springs and for civic organizations to improve amenities for the community. Under the first New Deal program, the Civil Works Administration, in 1934 the Women’s Improvement Club provided landscaping for a public drinking fountain. Other improvement projects included road and sidewalk construction (with most of the sidewalks within the historic district still bearing WPA or Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) imprints), construction of a...

Lloyd Moylan completed this fresco mural, entitled "The Dissemination of Education in New Mexico," in 1938 with funds provided by Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. It is viewable on the main stairwell and second floor of Rodgers Hall, the administration building for New Mexico Highlands University.

Construction of the Roosevelt County Courthouse and Jail was undertaken as a New Deal project during the Great Depression. Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), the building was actually a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. supplied an $89,173 grant for the building's construction; total cost of the project was $197,381. Construction occurred between 1937 and 1938/9. P.W.A. Docket No. N.M. 1024-D.S.

The Roosevelt County Museum was established in 1940, and a home for it was funded and built by the Work Projects Administration (WPA). It is located at the northern end of the ENMU campus, off W 2nd St. In addition to exhibits contributed by local residents, the museum houses examples of New Deal etchings.

"A number of other APS buildings were built, remodeled, or had additions built as the result of this source of this source of funding. Likewise adjacent school playgrounds, ball fields, etc. were also created. The schools include Armijo, Coronado, Duranes, Five Points School, La Mesa, Lincoln, Los Candelarias, Pajarito, San Jose, Santa Barbara, and Stronghurst. For specific information on each of these refer to the Albuquerque Museum Monograph written by Charles Biebel." -Treasures on New Mexico Trails

"Roosevelt Park opened during the middle of the Great Depression. It was built with federal Civil Works Administration funding obtained through Albuquerque Mayor Clyde Tingley's close friendship with President Franklin Roosevelt. The park's name was changed from the original "Terrace Park" soon after its opening to honor its popular benefactor. Designed by local landscape architect and greenhouse operator C. Edmund "Bud" Hollied, the park remains one of the Southwest's best examples of New Deal landscaping. Hollied envisioned a sprawling, lush park in what was previously a sandy, garbage-strewn arroyo. With the work of 275 CWA laborers, each paid $39 per month,...

"The Roswell Museum and Art Center was founded in 1935 through an agreement between the City of Roswell, Works Progress Administration (WPA), Federal Art Project (FAP), Chaves County Archaeological and Historical Society, and the Roswell Friends of Art. The Museum opened in 1937, deriving its initial support from the WPA as part of a Depression era project to promote public art centers nationwide. Today, the Roswell Museum and Art Center is among a handful of these Federal Art Centers that remain in operation. In its proposed plan, the WPA established that 'the root of the community art center idea is...

"The Las Vegas Municipal Building was constructed during 1939-40 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. As state agencies grew to comply with New Deal program requirements, the city needed more office space. It became apparent to civic leaders that Las Vegas required a new public building. In the spring of 1938, voters passed five bond issues. One was for $7,500 'for the construction of a public building to be occupied by the offices and departments of the City of Las Vegas.' Following the bond election, the city council hired the Santa Fe architectural firm of Kruger & Clark to prepare...

The Works Progress Administration built the Village/School auditorium 1941 in Ruidoso NM. The facility was converted to Ruidoso Athletic Club in mid 1980's.

The historic Ruidoso fire lookout tower in Lincoln National Forest was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933. NRHP Nomination Form: "This lookout, a 30 ft high steel tower' with a 14 ft by 14 ft wood cab, represents an Aermotor MI-25 type and was erected in 1940. It is located on the Smokey Bear Ranger District. The Aermotor NI-E5 type is an unusual and rare type of lookout in the Southwestern Region. Only one other MI-25 is known, that being located on the Gila National Forest. The Ruidoso lookout does not appear to have experienced any major modifications...

The June 1937 issue of Western Construction News reported "The REA has alloted $164,000 to the Central Valley Rural Cooperative Electric Company, Lake Arthur New Mexico, for constructing a generating plant estimated $60,000 and to construct 84 miles of transmission lines, estimated cost $104,000 in Eddy and Chaves Counties New Mexico." The company exists today "Central Valley Electric was incorporated June 23, 1937. CVE received its first loan from the Rural Electrification Administration for $90,000. From this modest beginning CVE has expanded its plant to $86.2 million dollars, providing service to more than 4,000 members who require in excess of 15,000...

Declared in 1909 the Gran Quivira National Monument, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) repaired and stabilized this 17th century site between 1934 and 1937, renaming it the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.

This small rural school is located 9 miles south of Socorro just off I-25, in San Antonio, New Mexico. The WPA engraving pictures is dated 1938. The school's current website says the school was founded in 1928. This may be a typo on the website, or the WPA may have done a remodel or addition in 1938.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) completed improvements at the San Jose de los Jemez Mission in Jemez Springs NM. The San Jose de los Jemez Mission is a mission compound for the Jemez Pueblo, established by the Catholic Church and the Spanish, rebuilt in 1621-1626. The initial excavation of the San Jose de los Jemez mission church began in 1921 and 1922, then advanced by the CCC in the late 1930s. The mission church and surrounding excavated structures are are part of the Jemez pueblo.

This WPA adobe school is now part of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. "Double adobe walls provided a bulky exterior when the 10-room modern schoolhouse was built in 1936. The $63,000 school was built by 70 workers over a 10-month period, according to the Biebel book. Now, the old school is part of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Beautifully renovated, it houses the center's library/genealogy center, archives, media room and offices. “It's the nicest and quietest place on campus,” says Carlos Vasquez, the center's history director, “but also the hardest to receive a cell phone call.” The old school, also known as Riverside Elementary,...

The San Miguel County Courthouse was built with WPA funds in 1940.

"A number of other APS buildings were built, remodeled, or had additions built as the result of this source of this source of funding. Likewise adjacent school playgrounds, ball fields, etc. were also created. The schools include Armijo, Coronado, Duranes, Five Points School, La Mesa, Lincoln, Los Candelarias, Pajarito, San Jose, Santa Barbara, and Stronghurst. For specific information on each of these refer to the Albuquerque Museum Monograph written by Charles Biebel." -Treasures on New Mexico Trails

In 1935, the Santa Fe County Board of Education prepared a WPA project proposal for a gym at Santa Cruz High School, a school located in a rural community just east of Española. Opened in 1925, with 89 students, it was the only high school in the greater Española Valley until 1930. The gym, to be constructed of traditional adobe, would be thoroughly “modern” and include a “standard size ball court” and meet “all the requirements of the State Board of Education” (WPA OP 65-85-498: 7238). The Board estimated that it would cost $8,664.40 to construct, with the WPA contributing $5,919.75. The WPA played...

The historic former county courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building, which was completed in 1939, "served until the 1970's when the judicial building was constructed just down the street. It now houses county administrative offices." (flickr)