The 51st annual Heritage Preservation Awards will be held in-person on Friday, May 19, for the first time since 2019, giving New Mexicans a chance to experience the best in historic preservation at St. Francis Auditorium.
This year’s presentation will take place at 2 p.m. in auditorium at New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. A reception will follow the awards ceremony. The award ceremony will recognize five winning organizations for 2023, as well as previous winners in-person, with those from 2021 and 2022 invited to attend. The ceremony is open to the public.
“This is a unique opportunity to not only highlight exceptional organizations and historic preservation projects from the last 12 months, but to also ensure that awardees from previous years get recognized,” said Jeff Pappas, state historic preservation officer.
The ceremony, presented by the Cultural Properties Review Committee to celebrate the best in historic preservation during Heritage Preservation Month, will include a performance by Maxine Thévenot on the historic pipe organ in St. Francis Auditorium, itself a historic preservation success.
A full list of the award winners is available below.
• Malcolm Ebright: This year’s Lifetime Achievement award will be presented to Ebright for his lifelong dedication to the history of New Mexico and expertise in land grant studies.
• Chad Rennaker, Rupal Engineer and Ryan Whitt: This year’s Individual Achievement Award will be presented to Rennaker, Engineer and Whitt for the rehabilitation of the El Vado Motel in Albuquerque.
• Nuevo Mexico Profundo: Frank Graziano, Susan Horn, Sana Morrow, and Pete Warzel: One of three Heritage Organization Awards will be presented to Nuevo Mexico Profundo – Graziano, Horn, Morrow and Warzel – for contributions in identifying, preserving and providing public access to New Mexico’s historic churches.
• Nob Hill Neighborhood Associations, Inc., Albuquerque: This Heritage Organization Award will be presented for efforts to preserve the Nob Hill Neighborhood’s historic character.
• The Peñasco Valley Historical Preservation Society: The final Heritage Organization Award will be presented to the Peñasco Valley Historical Preservation Society for its efforts to preserve Peñasco High School.
