New Mexico is home to original and authentic community plazas — beginning with prehistoric Native American ceremonial plazas and many distinctive Spanish Colonial era plazas, and evolving into the modern years with American courthouse squares. No other state can boast such a history of town and village squares.
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Lea County Courthouse
Southeast Region: Lovington
Constructed 1937. While it appears that the funds used to construct the Lea County Courthouse are NOT the result of New Deal programs, the style is similar to that of other New Deal-era courthouses. The county was experiencing an oil boom at the time and it is possible that it Read more…
Luna County Courthouse
Southwest Region: Deming
Constructed 1910. The Luna County Courthouse, designed by W. B. Corwin, with tall clock tower and Greek style portico was completed in 1910. The courthouse is an interesting variant of the Neo-Classical style with elongated proportions. The Courthouse was the site of the controversial trials of 30 Villistas of the Read more…
McKinley County Courthouse
Northwest Region: Gallup
Constructed 1939. Built in 1939, the McKinley County Courthouse was partially funded by the Public Works Administration and is listed on the state and national historic registers. Designed by the regionally renowned firm Trost & Trost, the four-story Spanish-Pueblo Revival style building is embellished in its interior with wood beams, Read more…
Mora Plaza
North Region: Mora
The plaza of Mora is an undeveloped space just north of St. Gertrude’s parish in the heart of the village. The plaza is used by the parish as a parking lot, but plans are underway to redevelop the modest square for community uses. Background history of Mora: Hispanic settlers had Read more…
Old Taos County Courthouse
North Region: Taos
Constructed 1932. The 1932 Spanish-Pueblo Revival style courthouse was built with partial funding from the PWAP and is located on the north side of the Taos plaza. The second floor courtroom was decorated with ten frescoes of subjects related to the use and misuse of the law. The frescos were Read more…
Quay County Courthouse
East Region: Tucumcari
Constructed 1939. The 1939 Art Deco style courthouse is a four-story concrete, granite and cast stone building with stone bas relief embellishments depicting faming, cowboys, and the railroad — significant symbols of the community’s economic base. The building, built with PWA funds, resembles other courthouses on the east side of Read more…
Roosevelt County Courthouse
East Region: Portales
Constructed 1938. The 1938 Art Deco Style Courthouse is a four-story structure of cast stone and blond brick with cast concrete and metal bas relief embellishments. It was designed by R.E. Merrell and partially funded through the Public Works Administration. The decorative motifs include thunderbirds and a bas relief medallion Read more…
San Miguel County Courthouse
North Region: Las Vegas
Constructed 1940 This structure was built with WPA funding in 1940. — Source “Public Art and Architecture in New Mexico 1933-1943” by Kathryn A. Flynn 500 W. National St. Las Vegas, NM 87701 575-425-9331 photo by Elmo Baca
Sierra County Courthouse
Southwest Region: Truth or Consequences
Constructed 1938. This courthouse, built in 1938, was the only PWA courthouse project to embrace territorial revival style. It was designed by Wilfred Stedman in 1937 when the voters chose to move the county seat from Hillsboro to Hot Springs (later known as Truth of Consequences). — Source: “Public Art Read more…
Taos Plaza
North Region: Taos
The Taos Plaza is the historic center of the town of Taos. Once a Spanish fortified walled plaza with houses and businesses, it now has a park with shady trees, park benches, and a gazebo surrounded by retail businesses made of adobe. An anchor of the plaza is the Hotel Read more…