Cultural Properties Restoration Fund doles out $1.2 million in funding to eight restoration projects

The New Mexico Historic Preservation Division has approved and funded eight new projects in a bid for historical preservation.

The projects are endowed for $1.2 million through the Cultural Properties Restoration Fund, which is funded by the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2023. The Cultural Properties Restoration Fund should receive money for at least the next three years, said Karla K. McWilliams, NMHPD deputy director.

“There really isn’t a state-funded grant program for historic properties, and so I think it’s really an essential program for the states,” McWilliams said. “We have so many historic properties in the state that need our help.”

There were 20 applications this year, according to McWilliams, and they are reviewed under specific criteria to be vetted and chosen.

Projects were awarded points in seven sections, with a total of 100 points possible. The sections were: scope of work/professional expertise; grant management; preservation standards; damage, deterioration or threat; long-term preservation; special status of property; and matching funds.

“These eight were the top point winners, mainly because they’re excellent projects,” McWilliams said. “The projects are highly organized. There’s a lot of understanding of what our preservation standards are.”

The projects span the state, from Bloomfield and Taos to Portales and places in between. The funds have been allocated to various projects, ranging from removing mold to structural repairs, such as fixing roofs and walls.

The projects are:

• Casa San Ysidro, Corrales — $250,000 for roof replacement.
• The city of Albuquerque’s Special Collections Library — $250,000 for roof replacement.
• The Harwood Museum of Art, Taos — $225,000 for mold remediation, window sill restoration and wall rehabilitation.
• Hillsboro Community Center — $189,300 for adobe wall restoration.
• The city of Santa Fe — $150,000 to update the Acequia Madre listing in the New Mexico Register of Historic Places.
• Salmon Ruins, Bloomfield — $75,000 for stabilization efforts against storm erosion
• National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque — $46,140 for a preservation assessment for its History and Literary Arts building.
• Eastern New Mexico University, Portales — $10,181 for stabilization and preservation of two archaeological features at the Blackwater Draw site.

“What’s really interesting about this fund is that it enables the smaller communities to apply …,” McWilliams said. “So it really represents a broader scope of what historic preservation is in the state and the opportunities that arise from that.”

She said these projects are necessary to help maintain sites for visitors and more.

“Those are essential projects to help property owners and caring for their historic properties,” McWilliams said. “So visitors will definitely be able to enjoy those properties, because they’ll still be around.”