Art Deco style swept the world in the 1920s, gleaming with new industrial materials such as chrome, glass block, aluminum, brass and steel. Art Deco at its best was a luxurious style of exotic woods, glass, and rich colors. In forms, Art Deco was an interplay of sinuous curves and elegant geometry. It was a popular style for movie theaters and hotels.
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Grant County Courthouse
Southwest Region: Silver City
Constructed 1930. Built in 1930, the Art Deco style courthouse was the first county courthouse to use New Deal funds for decorative murals. Theodore Van Soelen, N.A. painted two murals titled “Chino Mines” and “The Round Up” under the Public Works of Art Project in 1933 and 1934. Van Soelen Read more…
Hotel Artesia
Southeast Region: Artesia
Constructed 2008. The new Hotel Artesia was inspired by the Historic Hotel Artesia, which was a several story building located just a couple blocks away, but demolished over 40 years ago. The current Hotel Artesia was designed by architect Richard Yates inspired by the region’s tradition of outstanding mid-century modernism Read more…
Hotel Clovis
East Region: Clovis
Constructed 1931. Everything about the Hotel Clovis was grand, even its nickname, Skyscraper of the Plains. Soaring nine stories over the southeastern New Mexico city of Clovis, the hotel was once the tallest building between Albuquerque and Dallas. Snubbing the Depression, the hotel operators opened the hotel on October 20, Read more…
Kiva Theater
North Region: Las Vegas
Constructed 1912 Though it opened in 1912 as the Mutual Theater, the Kiva Theater is the second-oldest movie theater still operating in New Mexico, being seven years younger than the Fountain Theater in Mesilla. There is a photo of the auditorium of the Kiva Theatre in the April 29, 1939, Read more…
Lux Theater
West Region: Grants
Constructed 1937. The September 18, 1937, issue of Boxoffice had this to say about the Lux Theatre. Souris & Ade are opening the Lux at Grants, NM, a house of 518 seats. The town has been without a theatre since 1930. Another item in the same issue lists various pieces Read more…
Murray Hotel
Southwest Region: Silver City
Constructed 1938. Towering over Silver City’s downtown historic district, the art deco Murray Hotel has found new life after a long closure. The refurbished hotel offers tasteful guest suites within easy walking distance of Silver City Town Hall and the Silver City Museum. 200 W. Broadway Silver City, NM 88061 Read more…
Odeon Theater
East Region: Tucumcari
Constructed 1935. Built in 1935, this old white front Art Deco theatre is still in operation. Single screen, seating a little under 700. The theatre has a squared marquee with no attraction panels but has a good sized vertical in all red like the marquee with white neon lettering spelling Read more…
Raton Fire Station
Northeast Region: Raton
Constructed 1930 This one-story Art Deco-style building, constructed between 1930 and 1948, includes a white, horizontal tiled exterior. A stepped geometric parapet crowns the facade, and a large glass block opening with fluting above curves around the corner at the intersection of Second Street and Clark Avenue. The exterior veneer Read more…
State Theater
South Region: Las Cruces
Constructed 1941. Designed by El Paso architect Guy Frazer, the State Theater on Main Street in Las Cruces opened on Christmas Eve, 1941. It had a seating capacity of 563 patrons and was built at a cost of $30,000. The theater is a modest and intimate expression of Art Deco Read more…
Yam Theater
East Region: Portales
Constructed 1932. Originally opened in 1932. The long-closed Yam Theater on Portales’ Main Avenue (formerly Main Street) was given a $1 million renovation between 2006 and 2011, transforming the building into a community arts center. The theater was given its unique name due to the substantial sweet potato crops in Read more…