Part 8: Why Preservation? The city of Santa Fe is over four hundred years old. For the past hundred years, a battle has been waged between those who have sought to preserve Santa Fe as a historic city, and those who wish to see Santa Fe grow and modernize unhindered. That battle was fought in … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 8)
Part 7: The Addition of Preservation Standards The historic ordinance as enacted in 1957 recognized as one of its purposes the “continued existence and preservation of historical areas and buildings.”[1] However, unlike the style standards, the ordinance’s preservation standards were very weak, providing only: The Historical Style Committee shall judge any proposed alteration … for … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 7)
Part 6: The Additional Historic Districts The historic ordinance as enacted in 1957 created only a single historic district; however, it also provided for the designation of additional historic districts in the future. Eligible for such designation are: “sites, buildings, streets and areas … that merit careful preservation, and improvement or alteration only in keeping … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 6)
Part 5: The Core Historic District William J. Murtaugh, the first Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, describes historic districts as “areas that impact human consciousness with a sense of time and place.”[1] By its very nature, a historic district is an ensemble in which the whole is greater than the individual parts; … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (PART 5)
Part 4: The Battle for a Preservation Ordinance The Santa Fe Planning Board recommended architectural controls for Santa Fe as early as 1912, but no controls were enacted into law, and every individual continued to have the right to build in whatever style they wished throughout the first half of the twentieth century. For the … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 4)
Part 3: 1917 to 1956 The purpose of the “Campaign of 1912-1913,” as expressed by Sylvanus Morley, was for “awakening public sentiment in the preservation of our historic buildings and for the education of the public to the appreciation of the Santa Fe style of architecture.”[1] The outcome of this effort was mixed. While “the … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 3)
Part 2: The “Myth of Santa Fe” In 1997, Chris Wilson published The Myth of Santa Fe: Creating a Modern Regional Tradition, his influential deconstruction of Santa Fe as the “quintessential American tourist town.”[1] That book’s thesis is stated in the introduction: Following the arrival of the railroad in 1880, the city had rapidly modernized … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 2)
William Penhallow Henderson, Pueblo Adobes, 1918 (PD-US) Part 1: The “Campaign of 1912-1913” For centuries, the appearance of Santa Fe has been defined by its earthen architecture. As one new arrival described Santa Fe in 1852, the modern town of Santa Fe is built of mud, and the inhabitants, with great truth, can call their … More A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN SANTA FE (Part 1)
Every monument and memorial is a site of contested meaning. This is literally true in the case of Santa Fe’s Soldiers’ Monument. The monument presents a different message depending on which side one stands. Looking north in the direction of the Palace of the Governors, we read: TO THE HEROES OF THE FEDERAL ARMY WHO … More Making Sense of Santa Fe’s Soldiers’ Monument: Part One
Part Two: The Civil War in the West Two of the tablets affixed to the Soldiers’ Monument commemorate the “heroes” who died fighting with “rebels” at the battles of “Valverde,” “Cañon del Apache,” “Pigeon’s Rancho (La Glorieta),” and “Peralta.” For most observers, the meaning of these texts is utterly opaque. Few have any idea that … More Making Sense of Santa Fe’s Soldiers’ Monument: Part Two