Old Santa Fe Today Book Update - June 2020

La Capilla de San Ysidro Labrador, image by OSFT photographer Simone Frances

An Old Santa Fe Today, Fifth Edition Book Update by Melanie McWhorter, June 2020

Historic Santa Fe Foundation launched a campaign to reproduce the book Old Santa Fe Today in 2018. The book has been published in four editions thus far with the first one written by the former El Zaguán caretaker and resident Sylvia Loomis. This newly revised and updated edition has been a desire of staff and board for many years. We were happy when Dr. Audra Bellmore made a visit with her UNM class that year to look at El Zaguán as a living interpretation space. She became very invested in our organization as it is aligned with her interests, expertise, and the teaching program at UNM. Bellmore has since joined the Education, Research, and Archives Committee headed by Board Director Dr. Tim Maxwell and commenced and nearly completed the massive task of researching each property, and writing new citations for 95+ properties listed on HSFF’s Register of Properties Worthy of Preservation (Register). This listing was included, along with a few other locations, was the subject of the four previous editions of Old Santa Fe Today and will be the sole focus of the newest version. We have partnered with the Musuem of New Mexio Press and their designer David Skolkin to produce and publish the fifth edition of this book. The book is scheduled for 2021.

Images from left to right: La Capilla de San Ysidro Labrador, Manderfield Mausoleum exterior, Manderfield Mausoleum interior with stained glass. Image by OSFT photographer Simone Frances

We submitted the proposal to MNM Press in late 2018 and set the budget of approximately $40,000 to cover, among other line items, the printing, photography, a map insert, and app. The book has elements for research, and others used touring some of the neighborhoods of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico. Bellmore’s entries are being edited by Dr. Nancy Owen Lewis and Mac Watson. Lewis is HSFF board director, a scholar-in-residence at the School for Advanced Research and has authored or co-authored numerous books. Watson has worked architectural conservation as a licensed contractor and principal of Watson Conserves, LLC and former HSFF Board Chair. We are delighted for this expertise and wealth of knowledge in our volunteer editing team.

We then launched the fundraising campaign. Executive Director Pete Warzel’s expertise in the business world has proved a valuable skill in the nonprofit fundraising. Many of the Register homeowners and property owners are those who value Santa Fe’s history and are dedicated to the preservation of our unique aesthetic and varied historical architectural styles. Warzel made a list of all properties on the Register and started to reach out to the owners or businesses that occupy the properties. We had a magnificent response from these people who were more than willing to sponsor the reproducing of this book. We also announced in our printed newsletter and the membership donated to the book to donors and sponsors so far are Avalon Trust, Bishops Lodge Development, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, Enterprise Bank, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Inn of the Five Graces, La Fonda on the Plaza, Liz Cale and Santa Fe Properties, New Mexico Bank & Trust, San Miguel Chapel, Sunwest Construction, Victory Contemporary, and Wolf Corporation. More information on the business sponsors and individual donors here.

We hired the contract photographer Simone Frances to create new photographs of all the buildings. Frances was referred by another of Bellmore’s graduate student at UNM. Frances started the collaborative process of photographing privately-owned homes in early in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has put a halt on the photography, but she was able to cross off many of the public buildings with a few of those illustrated here. We hope to restart photography in the next few weeks.

We have also partnered with attorney and state senator Matthew McQueen to review the legal documents. Thanks to McQueen for all his assistance.

We experienced a delay in fundraising efforts and some who committed to donate cannot sponsor due to current financial concerns. Warzel applied for a New Mexico Humanities Council (NMHC) grant for those nonprofits whose programs were not funded because of the pandemic. We are honored to be awarded $7,000 from NMHC through funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. These moneys will support the initial budget for OSFT. Funds will be used to produce the map and application for tours of the Register properties and may expand into a more comprehensive resource for education and preservation in NM.

Finally, HSFF Board Chair Ken Stilwell with the board’s approval, started the Old Santa Fe Today publishing committee in June 2020. The committee is comprised of HSFF staff and OSFT project manager Melanie McWhorter, volunteers Lewis and Watson, writer Bellmore, and Stilwell and will meet regularly to make decisions about the book and its contents. We are still relatively on schedule despite the lockdown delays and hope to have the book on hand in late 2021.

Galisteo Sala, Image by OSFT photographer Simone Frances

Powder House, Image by OSFT photographer Simone Frances

Judith van der Elst: Thoughts on Exile at El Zaguán

Judith van der Elst’s blog logo

by Tim Maxwell, HSFF Board

El Zaguán had an unexpected resident scholar this spring when Dutch anthropologist Judith van der Elst found herself locked down in Santa Fe due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Shortly after arriving in New Mexico to develop an educational program at Santa Clara Pueblo, where she was to live, the pueblo closed its doors to non-Tribal members as the pandemic grew. A return to the Netherlands was not immediately possible. The Historic Santa Fe Foundation offered her space in a recently vacated El Zaguan apartment which a board director furnished with camping gear.

Using the Internet, she was able to work on program development with her Pueblo colleague. Her stay also allowed time to write and produce art. After living in Santa Fe for almost three months, she was reluctant to leave. Judith has worked in Italy, Germany, Thailand, Finland, and Mexico. Below are excerpts from her blog during her Santa Fe stay (https://sense-iblebaglady.net/):

March 24
I am in New Mexico, where, like the rest of the world, public life has come to a halt. While I am still in the dark what is going to happen to the project I came here for, I count myself lucky to be in this amazing place and be able work outside in the garden, preparing planting beds for future food. The road runners are busy building nests and performing their mating duties, they have the road to themselves.

March 31
I am temporarily residing close to the Santa Fe river, although calling it a river may be a bit euphemistic. Santa Fe, a city that can brag about having one of the cleanest air quality readings in the world, its waters are dwindling.

April 21
My favorite time of day, no longer sleeping, but not quite awake, I am woken up in the morning by the avian chorus and enjoy listening during my liminal state. When the woodpecker starts to do her/his thing in one of the cottonwoods It is time for me to get up. I live in the city, but close to the foothills. Santa Fe is the oldest city in the US, and even though gentrification is in full swing like everywhere, the strict heritage rules ensures that the new houses mix in well with the historic buildings and old residential houses. Many of the residential roads are unpaved, giving the city a rural vibe, especially in absence of traffic these days. The bird calls can be received, loud and clear. The coyote’s call at night.

May 5
Every morning, and later in the afternoon, I hear the woodpecker drumming his message across the street. At first, I thought the sound was coming from the trees, then I thought there was not one, but multiple woodpeckers, as the drumming sounded different, deeper, and seem to come from a different angle or location. But then I spotted the ladder-backed guy, drumming away on the utility pole, right across from my window and I started to observe him. Yet when I watch my woodpecker, he seems to take great consideration in where to drum. He travels up and down and around the pole to play his next roll and I wonder how far the sound waves carry his information. The poles perhaps have some good resonance, better than the trees. … the poles enable them to get their message across despite the human dominating sounds that can be so LOUD. It is only fitting that they choose the utility pole, designed as part of a system to convey information over long distances.

Tim Maxwell has most recently received the City of Santa Fe Historic Preservation Award, 2013, for establishing the city's archeological protection ordinance. Tim received a PhD in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and served as Director of the Office of Archeological Studies at the Museum of New Mexico until 2005. He is a former president of the Old Santa Fe Association as well as a former president of the New Mexico Archeological Council. Tim helped establish an educational outreach program with the Museum of New Mexico Foundation that was the recipient of a national award. He has also authored over sixty professional publications and articles and brings to the Foundation not only professional expertise but a firm commitment to the community.

Book Review • The King of Taos - Reviewed by Pete Warzel

The King of Taos • Max Evans

Reviewed by Pete Warzel
(Order the book at bottom of review)

There is something about New Mexican writers who tap the same vein of sensibility in their stories, exceedingly well, and entertainingly so. Stan Crawford, John Nichols, and here, Max Evans, have all gone to the well of character, for which the odd conglomeration of people in our state offers great promise for their rollicking tales. The King of Taos is almost plotless, more a collection of character studies that run the gamut of locals expatriated from the land and doing odd jobs to survive, artist immigrants, would be writers, Pueblo Indians, guys on the make, and strong women, in Taos, New Mexico during the 1950s. No matter about the plot, this book is a hoot.

Max Evans, again like Nichols and Crawford, pulls no punches when it comes to presenting his cast whole, all warts and foibles in macro vision. It is an equal opportunity comic barrage, and oh so Northern New Mexican. Not much has changed since the 1950s.

The Sagebrush Inn is there for the drinking, as is the Taos Inn. Writers are working as bartenders and the only painters making money in town are commercial artists. Did I say that incessant drinking is the tie that binds this story? I am not sure that is social commentary as much as a trope to allow for outrageous action and pitch perfect dialogue.

Zacharias Chacon is the leader of a group of misfits who haunt the drinking establishments of the town and commiserate about their toils and troubles. The running thread of the novel is Zacharias’s daily wait for the government check to come for his injuries during World War II, now five years delinquent after filing for compensation. His daughter Rosita goes to the post office, dutifully every day, to retrieve the check and finds her father in whatever bar the crew is settled in for the day. “It did not come Papa. Maybe tomorrow.” And optimism springs eternal as the rest of the drinking crew affirm that tomorrow will be the day.

Shaw Spencer, a newly arrived wannabe artist, becomes part of the gang, along with Indian Tony from the Pueblo, The Lover, The Undertaker, The Woodhauler, and interestingly, two real people plugged in as fictional characters – Patrocino Barela and Dal Holcomb. Shaw struggles with his art while the others just seem to go with the flow. He blows his money stake quickly and becomes partners with Zacharias in a wishful business venture where they will buy a D6 tractor and utilize Zacharias’ skills as a bulldozer operator. Shaw succeeds at his painting, then fails, makes money, then fails, broke again. His best-selling paintings are “portraits” of his model Anna, a sometimes lady of the night, whose backend is the focal point of the paintings.

And so, the days go. Funny yes, and sad. The eternal monotony of a small town with no opportunities is the rhythm of the novel. But, as Gene Atkins, the writer/bartender of the Sagebrush Inn says, “Well, I venture to say that you’ll find this a very different small town here.” And as we know Taos, so it is. The miracle happens.

A check for $36,000 is delivered by a delirious Rosita to her father and the crowd goes wild. The whacky string of promises that Zacharias made over the years to his friends for when he would be paid and rich are met, one by one, debts fulfilled, including a truck load of presents for his wife “Mama” who has been long neglected but never, ever, unloved. This band of drunken misfits, this gang of slap dash friends, are each ethical, caring people, watching out for one and all, covering each other’s backs no matter the situation. The boastful promises of drink come true, and nobody blinks at the fulfillment. Zacharias Chacon is the King of Taos.

Northern New Mexico lends itself to complex relationships, neighbors watching out for each other, as well as to descriptions of the beautiful land that unfolds everywhere before your eyes. Max Evans gets the land, the rhythms of the dialogue, the absurdity of the dreams, just right. This is a young man’s book, full of optimism and irony, and indeed the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book explains that he began this novel in the late nineteen fifties, and put it away. He was much younger then. It took an old man of almost ninety-five to finish it, to add the knowledge of sympathy, empathy, and the serenity of camaraderie that makes the world go round. 

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The King of Taos: A Novel • Max Evans

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2020 Santa Fe Heritage Preservation Award Winners Announced

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Sponsored by the City of Santa Fe,
Old Santa Fe Association, and
Historic Santa Fe Foundation

In honor of the 48th annual celebration of New Mexico Heritage Preservation Month, the City of Santa Fe will once again partner with the Historic Santa Fe Foundation and the Old Santa Fe Association to present the 2020 Santa Fe Heritage Preservation Awards. The awards are selected by the City’s Historic Districts Review Board, Mayor Alan Webber, and the boards of the Old Santa Fe Association and Historic Santa Fe Foundation, in recognition of outstanding achievements in heritage preservation, including architectural conservation, compatible design, cultural preservation, and heritage stewardship. This year’s awards ceremony is postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 restrictions; however, awardees will be honored online below. The winners of the 2020 Santa Fe Heritage Preservation Awards are as follows:

City of Santa Fe Awards
Architectural Preservation Award
853 East Palace Ave (former Palace Grocery)
Recipients: Ted Lusher/Lusher Enterprises, homeowner; Thomas Lechner, architect; Irene and Lloyd Martinez, Edificio Builders, contractor

Compatible Remodel Award
908 Old Santa Fe Trail (Bronson Cutting House)
Recipients: JC and Christy Butler, homeowners; Lorn Tryk, architect; Sharon Woods and Woods Construction, contractor         

Compatible New Construction Award
719 Gregory Lane
Recipients: Luz Varela, designer; Jason Pike of Wow Wee LLC, investor; Jaime and Norma Beltran of TRP LLC, contractor

Sara Melton Award for Sensitive Maintenance and Rehabilitation
1100 Old Santa Fe Trail Building
Recipients: National Park Service; Charles Vickrey, Ken Hornback and Dennis Brookie, project managers; MW Morrisey Construction, Oden Construction, Wiss, Janney Elstner Associates, Avanyu General Contracting and All-Rite Construction, contractors

Cultural Preservation Award
¡Presente! Stories of Belonging and Displacement in Santa Fe 
Recipients: Littleglobe, Inc., Lensic Performing Arts Center, Chainbreaker Collective, Earth Care, Capital High School, Searchlight New Mexico, City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department/Culture Connects, McCune Charitable Foundation, New Mexico Arts, Adobe Inc., Amblin Partners/Storyteller Distribution/New Mexico Film Office, Dan and Ashlyn Perry Charitable Foundation, Max and Anna Levinson Foundation, Aaron Stern, Diane Karp, Michael and Andrea Gross

Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Heritage Preservation:
Santa Fe Living Treasures
Recipients: JB Pena, President; Ginny Tape, Vice-President; Nancy Dahl, Secretary; Jody Soper, Treasurer; and John Barker, Felicity Broennan, Nancy Dahl, Marty Dobyns, Sara Kennedy, JB Pena, Richard McCord, Genevieve Russell, Maria Montez-Skolnik, Jody Soper, Ginny Tape, Margaret Wood.

Service Award
Herbert Lotz, former HDRB member

Old Santa Fe Association Awards
Cultural Preservation Award
John Pen La Farge

Sara Melton Award
Karen Heldmeyer

Community Service Award
Dorothy Massey

 Historic Santa Fe Foundation and Old Santa Fe Association Joint Award
Architectural Stewardship Award
Paul Weideman

DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT EACH AWARD AND RECIPIENT FOLLOWS IN THIS POST.

OLD SANTA FE ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Old Santa Fe Association Sara Melton Award
“Presented by the Old Santa Fe Association to those who honor the character of our beloved City with passion, persistence, intelligence and commitment in the finest community spirit exemplified by Sara Melton (1930 – 2006)”  

PRESENTED TO KAREN HELDMEYER

for her unwavering belief in the need for transparency and openness in city government, public participation in city initiatives, equity among Santa Fe neighborhoods, and in the preservation of Santa Fe’s history and quality of life.

2020 Old Santa Fe Association Sara Melton Award:  Karen Heldmeyer

Karen Heldmeyer has played such an integral role in how and why our city works that it’s difficult to imagine what Santa Fe would be like without her. Before, during and after her time representing District 2 on City Council, Karen has fought for transparency and openness at every level of our city government.  She saw the need for neighborhood representation, so she initiated the Neighborhood Coalition, which sparked the decades-old Santa Fe Neighborhood Network, of which she is currently Acting President.  She has been a stalwart in the Santa Fe County League of Women Voters, a valued supporter and member of the Old Santa Fe Association and of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation. 
She has served on countless city commissions and committees, from the Planning Commission to the city’s Redistricting Committee; she is so well-versed in so many areas of city government and in city issues, it’s no wonder that Mayors, City Councilors, Department Heads and many of the rest of us seek Karen out for her knowledge, opinions and advice. 

 Karen Heldmeyer is a feisty, determined, very much respected, appreciated and admired Santa Fean – just like the extraordinary woman for whom this award is named.

Old Santa Fe Association Cultural Preservation Award“Honoring a group or individual who, consistent with the mission of the Old Santa Fe Association, has contributed significantly toward maintaining and preserving the priceless cultural assets and traditions of Santa Fe.”

PRESENTED TO JOHN PEN LA FARGE

for his dedication, commitment and devotion to the cultural core of what is important about Santa Fe’s historic preservation, reflected in his thoughtful respect for the city’s distinctive values which influence us all, residents and visitors alike.

2020 Old Santa Fe Association Cultural Preservation Award: John Pen La Farge

John Pen La Farge has a committed fondness and respect for his multi-cultural, historic, hometown, the “old” Santa Fe. His strict sense of the importance of preservation connects him to times gone by, with an occasional worried eye toward what may be called destruction or progress, depending on one’s point of view. With eccentric wit, old-world elegance and a multi-faceted ability for seeing things as they are, and sometimes regrettably how they will become, Pen persists in having the ability to see in contemporary Santa Fe the possibility of preserving an extraordinary sense of place, one that cannot be found elsewhere.

 With his connections to the Pueblos, to many Santa Fe artists, writers and historians, and his awareness of his heritage from both his Baca and La Farge families, he is able to draw on his knowledge of our town, revealing a surprising storehouse of information about architecture and Santa Fe history. A friend recently recalled, that “to walk with Pen through the neighborhoods of historic Santa Fe is to feel history come alive.”  She also commented on his well-known eloquence and good sense of humor.

 Turn Left at the Sleeping Dog, Scripting the Santa Fe legend, 1920–1955, published in 2006, is Pen’s fascinating collection of the honest memories of old timers whom he has known. The unique charm which is part of Santa Fe’s past and which continues to influence and impact Santa Fe’s sense of place today runs throughout the entire book. It has been said: “The interviews collected in [his] book preserve the old Santa Fe, the one people are still looking for.” John Pen La Farge, himself, embodies one facet of Santa Fe’s iconic cultural dignity.

Old Santa Fe Association Community Service Award
“Honoring a group or individual who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the preservation and advancement of Santa Fe’s priceless traditions and who has contributed significantly to the community spirit of our city.”

PRESENTED TO DOROTHY MASSEY

for her steadfast commitment to advancing literary, cultural and community needs through her more than 25 years at the helm of Collected Works Book Store and Coffee Shop, which is one of the  important components of what makes the tradition of dialogue in Santa Fe such a valuable part of its spirited history.  

2020 Old Santa Fe Association Community Service Award: Dorothy Massey

For decades, Dorothy Massey has dedicated her bookstore, Collected Works, as a venue of welcome in our community. This independent bookstore is a proud part of Santa Fe's arts colony, and Dorothy has done this with style. She has made available to our town the invaluable asset of a stimulating place that has contributed to the fame of Santa Fe through our history of supporting writers and poets.

 She has actively utilized her store as a place to create and promote community.

Collected Works is not just a bookstore; it is a gathering place for all, locals and visitors alike. The store hosts numerous events from public readings and signings for authors to cheering events such as annual readings during the holidays.

Dorothy has also enriched and sustained our community by providing the space for “Journey Santa Fe,” a weekly gathering that emerged as a popular forum for important public dialogue on serious issues, led by key speakers from Santa Fe’s cultural and political leadership.   

 She has always viewed this community as more than simply a place to open a shop. For her welcoming attitude and her enthusiastic advancement of the cultural life of the City Different, the Old Santa Fe Association is very pleased to give its Community Service Award to Dorothy Massey.

HISTORIC SANTA FE FOUNDATION
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OLD SANTA FE ASSOCIATION AWARD

Architectural Stewardship Award Service Award

PRESENTED TO PAUL WEIDEMAN

In recognition of his meticulous efforts, through his factual and elegant writing, to present to, and educate us all, about the rich architectural and cultural history of the city of Santa Fe and state of New Mexico.

Kenneth Stilwell, Chair of the Board of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation
Randall Bell, Chair of the Board of the Old Santa Fe Association

2020 HSFF and OSFA Architectual Stewardship Award: Paul Weideman

Paul Weideman was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Ohio, Michigan, and in Southern Rhodesia, Africa. He earned bachelor’s degrees in biology (Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo) and editorial journalism (University of Washington, Seattle) and has worked as a journalist since 1984, the last 22 with the Santa Fe New Mexican. In 1996, he married Mary Margaret Vigil, whose parents were members of multigenerational Santa Fe families and who has given him scores of insights about "old Santa Fe" — that is, from the 1950s and 1960s. Paul was presented a Service Award by the Santa Fe chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2017 for articles about design and architecture in his "Art of Space" column in Pasatiempo magazine and in the monthly Home/Santa Fe Real Estate Guide.

Paul Weideman is a friend of historic preservation and architectural stewardship, putting his own mark on the complexities of the integrative development of Santa Fe architecture, from the distant past to the modern present. His work has been consistently focused on educating the public about the long history of architecture and culture of the Santa Fe area, and the need for concerted preservation of each. He has recently published a sensible and inviting study of Santa Fe style called Architecture Santa Fe, a Guidebook. His newspaper columns relating to history, architecture, real estate ,and thoughtfully published comments, opinions and insights about regional preservation needs and efforts have guided readers for many years. His audience includes the citizens of Santa Fe and northern New Mexico as well as the architects, builders, and the preservation community through articles that connect the many aspects of Santa Fe cultural history. His writing has been called “scholarly,” “invaluable,” “trenchant,”  “fluent” and it is witty, helpful, and ultimately kind.

The Historic Santa Fe Foundation and the Old Santa Fe Association are pleased and proud to join together in naming Paul Weideman the recipient of this Architectural Stewardship, 2020, as part of the annual Heritage Preservation Awards held by our two organizations along with the City of Santa Fe, Historic Preservation Division.

CITY OF SANTA FE AWARDS

Architectural Preservation Award
For outstanding examples of restoration or rehabilitation of a designated historic property.

Project:        853 E. Palace Avenue (former Palace Grocery building)
District:             Downtown and Eastside Historic District
Recipients:       Sharon and Ted Lusher, property owner; Thomas Lechner, architect; Amanda Sigler, designer/contributor; Irene and Lloyd Martinez, Edificio Builders, contractor

The modest commercial building at 853 East Palace Avenue served as the Palace Grocery for nearly 50 years, from its construction in the early 1960s through its closing in 2007. Meliton and Yolanda Vigil owned and operated the beloved neighborhood grocery store for this entire period, and their family residence was next door at 855 East Palace Ave. In 2017, the Vigil estate requested a status review, and the HDRB made the structure contributing to the Downtown and Eastside District, and they subsequently sold the property. In 2018, Ted and Sharon Lusher (owners) and Tom Lechner (architect) received approval from the HDRB to renovate and restore the building, with the requirement that the historic “Palace Grocery” sign be maintained. Ted and Sharon have been involved in the Santa Fe community for 35 years and are thrilled to act a stewards for this treasured piece of Santa Fe’s history.

Compatible Remodel Award
For outstanding examples of remodeling that harmonizes with streetscape or brings building into better compliance.

Project:            908 Old Santa Fe Trail (Bronson Cutting House)
District:              Downtown and Eastside Historic District
Recipients:        JC and Christy Butler, homeowners; Lorn Tryk, architect; Sharon Woods and Woods Construction, contractor

The Bronson Cutting House at 908 Old Santa Fe Trail was designed by Thomas MacLaren for Bronson M Cutting (a US Senator representing NM from 1927 to 1935) in 1910 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with classical baroque elements including curvilinear corniced papapets, wooden shell and glass lunettes, and applied pilasters. In 2017, the residence was designated as significant to the Downtown and Eastside Historic District by the HDRB, and JC and Christy Butler, with the help of architect Lorn Tryk and Woods Construction, received approval to sensitively remodel and painstakingly restore the home and construct a garage.

Compatible New Construction Award
For outstanding examples of new construction that harmonizes with historic structures in historic districts.

Project:            719 Gregory Lane
District:               Don Gaspar Area Historic District
Recipients:        Luz Varela, designer; Jason Pike of Wow Wee LLC, investor; Jaime and Norma Beltran of TRP LLC, contractor

In 2017, the HDRB approved the construction of a new 2,897 square foot residence on a vacant lot at 719 Gregory Lane. The residence was designed in Spanish-Pueblo Revival style and featured a one-car garage, rounded stuccoed massing, three portales, and simulated divide light aluminum clad windows.

City of Santa Fe Sara Melton Award for Sensitive Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Project:           1100 Old Santa Fe Trail (National Park Service Regional Headquarters Building)
District:              Downtown and Eastside Historic District
Recipients:        National Park Service; Charles Vickrey, Ken Hornback and Dennis Brookie, project managers; MW Morrisey Construction, Oden Construction, Wiss, Janney Elstner Associates, Avanyu General Contracting and All-Rite Construction, contractors; and major contributors Aaron Roth, AJ Riddles, Adrian Vigil, Amy Cole, Elizabeth Pidgeon, Fielding Link, Lauren Meyer, James Mason, Amy Pallante, Tef Rodeffer, Dana Senge, Paige Hoskins, Brenda McLain, Patrick Walsh, Tara Riggs, Tammy Gallegos, Meghan Braunschweig, Jason Longshore, State Historic Preservation Officer Jeff Pappas, Lynette Pollari, Pilar Cannizzar, and the Historic Santa Fe Foundation            

In 2018, the NPS embarked upon a $42 million restoration of the Regional III Headquarters Office Building on Old Santa Fe Trail. The structure was constructed in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and stands as the largest adobe office building still in use. The CCC, via the Works Progress Administration, was a Depression/New Deal-era government program to provide jobs for young unemployed men. The structure was completed by 1941 and was designed in Spanish-Pueblo Revival style by architect Cecil Doty and landscape architect Harvey Cornell.

Cultural Preservation Award
For outstanding examples of work toward the preservation and understanding of Santa Fe’s unique cultural heritage.

Project:            ¡Presente! Stories of Belonging and Displacement in Santa Fe 
Recipients:        Littleglobe, Inc., Lensic Performing Arts Center, Chainbreaker Collective, Earth Care, Capital High School, Searchlight New Mexico, City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department/Culture Connects, McCune Charitable Foundation, New Mexico Arts, Adobe Inc., Amblin Partners/Storyteller Distribution/New Mexico Film Office, Dan and Ashlyn Perry Charitable Foundation, Max and Anna Levinson Foundation, Aaron Stern, Diane Karp, Michael and Andrea Gross

¡Presente! is a conversation which animates grief and hope: a series of multi-arts stage performances and cross-sector partnerships that aims to have a profound community-controlled impact on Santa Fe’s civil discourse and policy making.¡Presente! is a multi-disciplinary collaborative project, focused on collecting and artistically sharing personal histories and current reflections on displacement and belonging, culminating in multi-media performances throughout the city. Created in collaboration with dozens of Santa Fe community members from a wide variety of backgrounds, histories and perspectives and many cross-sector partners, ¡Presente! artistically shares stories of home and belonging as the grounding for a City-wide dialog and exploration of the future of our town and how we develop into the future without displacing the rich tapestry of people that make up Santa Fe’s residents. ¡Presente! 2019 culminated in two multimedia performances: one at Capital High School (in partnership with Earth Care) for students and teachers that was followed by student-led discussions; and one at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in front of an audience of over 800 people!

Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Heritage Preservation

Awardee:          Santa Fe Living Treasures Program
Recipients:         Committee Members:  John Barker, Felicity Broennan, Nancy Dahl, Marty Dobyns, Sara Kennedy, JB Pena, Richard McCord, Genevieve Russell, Maria Montez-Skolnik, Jody Soper, Ginny Tape, Margaret Wood.

Santa Fe Living Treasures is a valuable community resource, Founded by the late Mary Lou Cook, Santa Fe Living Treasures was a valuable community resource for 35 years, honoring Santa Fe elders who have contributed so much, in so many varied ways, to the fabric of our entire community. Their work has consistently acknowledged the importance of Santa Fe’s culture and the contributions of the aged-70 and older women and men, who, from all walks of life and from all parts of our multi-cultural mix, have, during the course of their inspiring lives, given enormously and contributed generously and creatively to our special city in ways too numerous to mention. Almost everyone in Santa Fe has known a friend or neighbor who has been honored by the Living Treasures group. This award is particularly timely, as 2020 will be the first year that Santa Fe Living Treasures will not be giving awards, since the organization can no longer continue their mission.

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Still Life at El Zaguàn

Historic Santa Fe Foundation’s Executive Director Pete Warzel asked our El Zaguán resident writer Sarah Stark to share some of her thoughts on the lockdown as seen from her rare vantage point as an occupant of our historic building located on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. Sarah is a writer and educator who lives in El Zaguán with her son Jack. Please enjoy this personal narrative on a life in the difficult time that we are all experience in 2020.

Still Life at El Zaguán
April 2020
A Personal Narrative by Sarah Stark

Sarah Stark with her son Jack Stark Dudzik bking behind HSFF’s El Zaguán

It all started last October when Tom Hanks was here at El Zaguàn filming scenes for “News of the World”, things being a bit off with my writing. I think it was a timing thing. I was in a particularly easy rhythm with the re-writes of my novel (Sallie Finnegan Tells Her Story), and perhaps becoming overconfident. This would surely be an award-winning piece of work; this would no doubt get attention for its brilliant perspective, structure, etcetera, etcetera. You know. And then word came that Tom Hanks would be filming a movie here. The same Tom Hanks who I’d grown up with, who seemed to be such a vulnerable, normal guy when I’d first seen him my junior year in high school in the movie Splash, with Daryl Hannah.

What started as a daydream, soon became a creative nightmare. Though I raced home from school on my off-periods those few days in October and though I made a special effort to read outside on my chaise lounge just in case the actor walked by, I never actually saw him. Later, I saw photos taken by a neighbor of Hanks riding a horse up a dirt-covered Canyon Road, and I’d seen the film prep crews the week prior to filming and for a week afterwards cleaning up, so I know it all happened. But in the end, I was left cold and flat. My novel-in-progress might as well have been a wild mustang taking off at a full gallop for open land.  I was left thinking about hubris and celebrity and talent, and wondering how to get back in my groove. Hoping for some kind of reset button.

So I’m not blaming Tom Hanks. Not really.

In my world, it is Day #49 of the COVID-19 reality at El Zaguàn, my clock starting to tick the day I returned home from a visit to see my middle daughter in Portland, Oregon, Tuesday, March 17. St. Patrick’s Day I realize now, but then my mind was on Clorox wipes as we boarded planes and used public restrooms. By the time I pulled my Honda into my parking spot near Apartment 7, all the toilet paper in Santa Fe had disappeared and I found myself puzzling about how I was going to teach A Midsummer Night’s Dream remotely to 7th graders. Since then, I’ve figured out the basics of groceries, essentials and teaching via a screen while Jack continues with his 4th grade Montessori class on a laptop in his bedroom.

But when we’re not in school—which is many hours of each day—we’re outside in the small paradise that surrounds us. The apples and pears are in full bloom, and the lilacs are just starting their show. The birds know something is amiss, their brilliant singing the evidence that they’re not missing the cars on Canyon. The vocal concert begins a few minutes before 6 a.m. every day, and proceeds all day long, through dusk. Jack, who will turn 10 in a week, has learned to ride his bike. It happened somewhat spontaneously on Day #20, a result of time and patience and the perfect hard dirt track around the lower fountain. Can you imagine a better place or time to learn to ride a bicycle?

And let’s talk about contagion. The kind of thing you want to catch. I saw Jack in that golden April sun on that day he started pedaling on his own, and I wanted to be a child again. That carefree sound of rubber tires on gravel. That expansive delight in his eyes. I watched him pedal for a day, pretending to read, and then I ran-walk behind him on the  river trail, Siberian elms and aspens in a parade of lemon green overhead. Finally, when I could bystand no longer, I borrowed my grown middle daughter’s old Schwinn bicycle from her dad’s garage, and I got back on the seat after more than 40 years. Re-learning how to pedal and steer and brake has been like time travel, taking me back to my sunniest memories from Austin, Texas, where I last rode a banana seat bike in the 1970s, weaving aimlessly around those tree-lined neighborhoods.

Today, there are seven of us exploring our lives anew at 545 Canyon Road, even as we do so many things the same way we’ve always done them. All of us living here are quiet to begin with—staunch introverts, mostly—and so I don’t imagine any of us feels too isolated. Not in any negative way. Rather, it’s been just the kind of quiet to hunker down and get things done, even if the faraway reality of pain and suffering is real in our minds. We’ve been watching and listening to the birds as we wait out the uncertainty. Paul, Kuzana, (and her husband, Wade), Celia, Judith, Jack and me. We see each other and wave from a distance while checking for mail or hanging out our clean laundry. When I’m inside, Jack reports comings and goings from his spot down near the fountain. I’ve taken to reading under the blooming pear tree in the mornings, and on the porch swing in the late afternoons. A few times, on Wednesday evenings, a few of us have had a drink while overlooking the garden, careful to pull the wicker chairs far apart.

It is a still life, like a slow-moving painting.

Paul Baxendale (Apartment 6) has taken down his March show from la sala—“Residency: Translations of a New Santa Fe Style in Design and Practice” the inspired wood starbursts and monsoon tableaus and candelabra (see it online at https://www.fieldstudieseditions.com/ )—and has hung all of the pieces that have not yet sold on the walls of his apartment. He’s spending his days making jewelry—“Crystal Allies” necklaces—and rockhounding near Abiquiu and Pilar. He’s been gardening on the Canyon Road side of his apartment—planting pink corn in the pots by his door and tending to the sunflowers that volunteer there every year.

Kuzana Ogg (Apartment 3) will soon have completed two series of paintings during lockdown. The first series, “Valhalla”, involves “seeing the world through tears”, tears that can be interpreted as either our human tears or those of the earth in the form of rain and snow. Her second painting series—in progress now—encompasses otherworldly landscapes for our souls to escape to—small abstract mountains and voluminous clouds.  “The most different thing [is] that everything is staying the same,” she told me. “I awake to birdsong and enjoy listening while I paint.” (See her latest work at KuzanaOgg.com)

Celia Owens (Apartment 1) has taken to social interactive art, albeit at a distance. She started by putting messages in her window, facing out to Canyon Road. Her hope was to reach the curious passerby. Phrases like “What part of yourself came out to play in this time?” She’s alternated small paintings in the window display, and she reports that a few people have let her know they’ve noticed and enjoyed  the unexpected messages. Along the fenceline one day, Celia wove a long adding machine tape through the posts, writing “What do you think?” at each end of the white paper, and leaving pencils and markers in a few socially-distanced locations to encourage passersby to add their thoughts. A number of people did so, writing things like “Have the bravery to share love!” and “I hear the birds say, ‘It is going to be OKAY!’”

And our newest resident, Judith Vanderelst (Apartment 5), was offered refuge at El Zaguàn when her planned project location with one of the northern Pueblos was locked down just as she arrived from Amsterdam. Judith is continuing her collaborative work on a language revitalization project, creating curriculum rooted in land-based knowledge. She is not new to New Mexico, having earned her doctorate in anthropology from UNM more than a decade ago. Judith keeps her door open and writes that “seeing butterflies, a squirrel pair and the occasional hummingbird is an unexpected treasure and testimony to the special place New Mexico is.” (You can check out her wonderful writing at https://sense-iblebaglady.net/)

Meanwhile, Jack Dudzik is drawing leaves and trees, and labeling them for school science and art projects. In addition to daily outings on his bike, he’s working on a soccer move called the rainbow and helping his grandparents (my parents) learn how to participate in our weekly extended family Zoom gatherings.

And I’m still writing and drawing a little and gardening. The seeds I’ve planted in the lower garden—as usual, way before the last frost date—have not yet appeared, but I’m still watering and still hoping. Several kinds of lettuces, spinach, kale, red onions, marigolds, sunflowers and hollyhocks. My novel is still way out ahead of me across the plains. For months I’ve watched it pull away, almost beyond my sightlines. But with all this mind-expanding coronavirus change, and all this beautiful quiet still life, I think I’ve finally made peace with its rebellion. I’ve accepted the idea that I won’t ever be gripping those reins fully, and that I have to find another way. Horses have never been my chosen form of transportation anyway. Instead, I see myself riding my bicycle with abandon across the high desert, joining this otherworldly and spirited horse in an unforeseen and new way. Maybe side by side, not even trying to beat it anymore, but embracing the raucous uncertainty with all my spirit, one hand on the handlebar and the other one, overhead and free.

ABOUT THE WRITER
Sarah Stark is a writer-in-residence at El Zaguàn where she lives with her son, Jack. She teaches English and creative writing in Santa Fe, and is the author of the award-winning novel, Out There (Leafstorm, 2014). To read more go to sarahstark.net.

Giving Tuesday Now - Why Give to HSFF

Historic Santa Fe Foundation (HSFF) is a non-profit organization located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, dedicated to the preservation of architecture and cultural history in the area. Its home El Zaguán is linked to the early to mid-20th century and New Mexico-based architect John Gaw Meem and many of his contemporaries who were politically and socially active in their preservation efforts. HSFF has continued with the education-focused mission of fostering preservation and history and related educational programs. In recent years, under the direction of the Board of Directors and Executive Director Pete Warzel, the foundation has made some tough but crucial decisions while staying true to the mission and established a structure that ensures the viability of the organization for many years to come. This is a long-term solution for financial stability; and while these funds will provide a safety net for the foundation for its future, HSFF realized in recent years that they needed a strong development and membership program. We need our members’ and donors’ support for the annual maintenance and programming.

With the lockdown and closures, our staff is still hosting ongoing, thoughtful, and responsible discussions between the staff and Board about our annual budget. The staff has also addressed the concerns of our El Zaguán tenants and their financial needs for the upcoming months and explored outside resources offered to those in need during this time. We want to support our staff and tenants while thoughtfully considering the future of the organization.

While we have had to postpone or cancel certain events and programs this year because of social distancing and public health concerns, know that we are actively working on exciting programming as conditions improve. In the upcoming months, we will offer educational events, informative and fun tours, and social gatherings with safety and health of all our members and visitors in mind.

Also, we are starting to offer a digital Salon El Zaguán archive and online exhibitions. The sala now hosts the works of Tom Leech of the Palace of the Governors Press and calligrapher Patricia Musick with hopes for a May closing reception and, starting on May 15, viewings by appointment. The unique artworks are available for sale online and had a warm reception resulting in sales from our emails. We are working with our limitations to offer some of the same content. Our website has become an even more valuable tool and greater resource.

For our members and donors, we thank you for your continued support. We function daily because of our membership and Stewards group, and we greatly appreciate those who renew annually. As we always send a printed newsletter three times a year to inform our constituency, we will be sending a mailing in June about our easement program; the online May Preservation Awards with the City of Santa Fe, and Old Santa Fe Association; and other happenings around El Zaguán and Santa Fe.

On this day of giving called Giving Tuesday Now, we ask that you consider a renewal of your membership and/or an additional donation for the foundation’s general expenses or specifically to one its programs including the expanded edition of the classic publication Old Santa Fe Today, the Mac Watson Fellowship, or the Faith and John Meem Trades Internship Program.

Finally, GET A FREE GIFT IF YOU GIVE OVER $100 BY MAY 15. We are also offering a nice bonus to your membership through May 15 with a black tote bag with a screen-printed HSFF logo for $100, and a tote bag and copy of Paul Weideman’s book Architecture SANTA FE for $200. More details here.

We hope you are dedicated to helping maintain our organization for the future of our great city of Santa Fe and will help support us with your donation today. Thanks and we hope to see you soon!