2020 Santa Fe Heritage Preservation Award Winners Announced
/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.