The federal Public Works Administration of the 1930s saw unique projects in many New Mexico communities that supported traditional folk arts along with impressive public projects such as parks, community buildings, art and murals. Often these projects reflected local adobe architectural forms and craftsmanship.
- Posts: 54 -
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…
Roswell City Hall
Southeast Region: Roswell
Constructed 1939. WPA workers constructed this solid, no-nonsense building with Art Deco cement panels on the facade. As one of the many plaques inside the structure emphatically states, it was Built and paid for in 1938-39. From 1939 to 1962 the Roswell Police Department operated from here, along with other Read more…
Roswell Museum & Art Center
Southeast Region: Roswell
Constructed 1937. 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 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
Shuler Theater
Northeast Region: Raton
Constructed 1915. The Shuler Theater is a historic theater located in downtown Raton. Home to the local performing arts scene, you can see live plays, dramas, comedies, concerts and musical theater suitable for all ages. The foyer of the theater features eight mural panels created by Manville Chapman in 1934 Read more…
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…
Spring River Park
Southeast Region: Roswell
Constructed 1938. A prisoner of war camp was located in Orchard Park during World War II. The German POWs were put to work building infrastructure for the city. One of their projects concerned paving the banks of the North Spring River in stone. Some of the POWs worked together and Read more…
The Harwood Museum of Art
North Region: Taos
Constructed 1916. In 1937, UNM and the Works Projects Administration (WPA), working in cooperation to create an enhanced facility, embarked on a major expansion and renovation project of the Harwood complex. Designed by John Gaw Meem, one of the best known architects of the Southwest, the Harwood addition became one Read more…
Thomas Branigan Memorial Library
South Region: Las Cruces
homas Branigan Memorial Library is located at 200 E. Picacho Ave. on the corner of North Main St. and Picacho Ave. “Navajo Blankets Portfolio” by Louie Ewing and a small watercolor by Ramos Sanchez, “San Ildefonso Pueblo,” are available for viewing. On request one can study the “Portfolio of Spanish Read more…
Truth or Consequences Post Office (Geronimo Springs Station)
Southwest Region: Truth or Consequences
Constructed 1940. Completed in 1940, the post office in downtown Truth or Consequences (known at the time as Hot Springs) was built according to the standardized plan also used for the Deming and Portales post offices, but with less ornamentation. The post office is listed on the National Register of Read more…