Southeast Region

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…

Constructed 1999. The following information is provided from the sign located near the statue: John Simpson Chisum 1824-1884 “Cattle King of the Pecos” John S. Chisum, a western icon, is generally recognized as the early West’s most prominent cattleman. In the mid-1870s, Chisum was the largest cattle producer in the Read more…

Constructed 1947. In 1947, a first-class, state-of-the-art movie theater, Land of the Sun, opened in Artesia. It was operated by the Gilchrist family until 1975. Eventually it came into ownership by Carmike Cinemas, and by the late 1990s, the theater had become rundown, inside and out. Artesia MainStreet and Carmike Read more…

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…

Constructed 1920. Lovington is the county seat of Lea County, it became a town in 1908 when settlers from east of the Texas line homesteaded the western edges of the Llano Estacado in New Mexico Territory. New Mexico became a state in 1912. Lea County was founded in 1917. The Read more…

Constructed 1948. The Lea Theater was built in 1948 in Lovington as the post-WWII economy and local oil discoveries launched a boom in Lea County. Situated across the street from the impressive Lea County Courthouse, The Lea Theater is an excellent example of the mid-century modern International Style that was Read more…

Constructed 1930. Anchored by its courthouse square with numerous heritage evergreen and deciduous trees, the compact Lovington Commercial Historic District retains its early twentieth and mid-twentieth century building stock, its historic feeling, and associations with ranching, function as a county seat, and later, with the oil and natural gas industry Read more…

Constructed 1920. New Mexico Military Institute was founded by Colonel Robert S. Goss and Captain Joseph C. Lea in 1891, originally as the Goss Military Academy, with an initial enrollment of 28 students. In 1895 it acquired the land at its current location, and in 1910 it received land-grant status Read more…

Constructed 1935. The Ocotillo Theater was built in 1935 by theater owner and developer C.W. Bartlett and his son Ray, who built and operated several historic theaters in Artesia. The Ocotillo was converted to a popular cafeteria in the 1950s. The Artesia Arts Council acquired the Ocotillo in 2001 and Read more…

Constructed 1939. The Old City Hall was built with WPA funds in 1939. It is currently being used as an office building and is managed by Artesia MainStreet. As WPA (Works Progress Administration, a depression-era program) building project, it brought several City departments together under the same roof, including the Read more…