Director

A site for a state park between the towns of Clovis and Portales was chosen in January 1934. S.R. De Boer, a landscape architect for the National Park Service, assessed the site and determined that the soil may be too sandy to hold water but was convinced by local interested parties to move forward with the plan. The camp was approved by the CCC on April 5, 1934. The estimated time and cost were twelve months for a total of $39,075.CCC Company 804 arrived on June 13th 1934, composed of an average of 200 enrollees from New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming. Unfortunately for those men, canvas tents were used instead of permenant barracks; this made for poor conditions in a windy area on the edge of the Dust Bowl. The barracks were finally completed in mid-October, a quarter of a year later. Company 804 was removed in October 1935 unexpectedly to work on another project, but the park was unfinished. The camp was eventually transferred to the WPA and ownership was later transferred in 1951 to Eastern New Mexico University.[1] The land was owned by Eastern New Mexico Junior College (later ENM University). By the 2000's, the land was only 24 acres. When it was sold to a private buyer in September of 2020, it housed two decaying buildings from the original park and two Eastern New Mexico University structures: the former Greyhound Stadium (a new one built on campus in 2016) and the former Blackwater Draw Museum (relocated onto campus in 2017).[2] In the spring of 2022, a grass fire destroyed the remnants of the CCC buildings and the former museum, which were all then razed.

Other

The park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and covered 380 acres. It contained twin artificial lakes, a bathhouse, a caretaker's house, a latrine foundation, a picknicking slab, and the slab/pump of the well to fill the lakes. The park was never fully finished and the land was eventually given over to other use. A fire in 2022 burned the last remaining structures.

Eastern New Mexico State Park

The New Deal only existed from the late 1930s-1940s but resulted in striking cultural artifacts in Portales, New Mexico. Walk around the campus of Eastern New Mexico University and drive downtown to see local Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) architecture and Federal Arts Program (FAP) artwork.

Eastern New Mexico University's Lea Hall was constructed for the purpose of serving as a men's dormitory. It was built by members of the National Youth Administration (NYA), a WPA program to employ young men and women of a certain financial bracket to assist them in paying for higher education.3 Floyd Golden explained that "the college set up an NYA resident training encampment to accommodate sixty boys who made concrete bricks and tile and constructed the first men's dormitory where young men could bring food from home to contribute to their financial support".4By July of 1941, the building was nearly finished, with the Portales Tribune reporting that the dormitory was expected to be finished by January 1.5 By November, the building was in its "last stages of completion," according to the Portales Daily News. The NYA boys who were working on the building moulded the cement bricks themselves, built the cabinets in the building, and completed interior decorating.6 In February of 1942, the Portales City Council was reported to have approved a water main extension so that it can serve the dormitory, indicating that the building was nearly finished.7 By April, the Portales Tribune published a photo of the nearly completed dormitory, alongside photos of a few of the NYA men working on the building.8Two additions were made to the building in 1947 on the North and South ends of the building, and it was later renovated in both 1973 and 2000. An elevator was installed in the building in 1992.3The building currently houses the Department of Communicative Disorders, the Department of Social Work, the Post Office, and the Blackwater Draw Museum.

Lea Hall at ENMU was constructed as a National Youth Administration project under the New Deal in 1936. The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) provided a $46,000 loan and $37,636 grant for the project, whose total cost was $85,034 (P.W.A. Docket No. N.M. 7048). Two additional wings were later added on in 1947 to enhance the structure.

Lea Hall

While the Golden Student Success Center is not a New Deal building itself, it holds many important art pieces that were made as part of a New Deal Program. The largest, and therefore most noticeable, pieces are three works in a series by Nils Hogner and "Science" by Raymond Jonson. Other New Deal paintings include: “Penitente Friday” and “Acoma” by Gene Kloss, “Black and White Sawmill” and “Abstract” by Stuart Walker, “Mesas” (which may not be New Deal-sponsored) by Cady Wells, and “Sawmill” by Brooks Willis.<ul><li>Hogner: Originally a series of four paintings, the fourth has been lost at one point. In 2004, "Navajos and Cowboy" was one of five chosen for license plates produced by the New Mexico Community Foundation; proceeds went to support community arts programs for New Mexico children through an endowment called the Community Arts Resources (CAR) Fund. These are displayed on the second floor.</li><li>Jonson: "Science" is a companion piece to "Art", which is housed in the Administration Building nearby. This mural is displayed on the first floor near the library's circulation desk.</li><li>The remaining paintings are in a secure location and can be viewed by arrangement.</li></ul>

While the Golden Student Success Center is not a New Deal building itself, it holds many important art pieces that were made as part of a New Deal Program. The largest, and therefore most noticeable, pieces are three works in a series by Nils Hogner and "Science" by Raymond Jonson. "Science" is a companion piece to "Art", which is housed in the Administration Building nearby. Other New Deal paintings include: “Penitente Friday” and “Acoma” by Gene Kloss, “Black and White Sawmill” and “Abstract” by Stuart Walker, “Mesas” (which may not be New Deal-sponsored) by Cady Wells, and “Sawmill” by Brooks Willis.

Golden Student Success Center (Artwork)

For the initial structure, only the western side of the building was constructed. Though it was built to be the administration for the first college in the eastern part of New Mexico, the Great Depression paused the creation of the college. When the time came to open the school, hay had to be cleaned out of the building because it had been used as a barn in the interim. The central and eastern sections of the building were then constructed, providing the balanced structure you see today.[1] The Public Works Administration made a grant of $87,636 and a loan of $46,000 to extend the building with the current central and eastern wings.Two years later, Lloyd Moylan was hired under the supervision of Vernon Hunter, state director of the Federal Arts Project, to paint a mural in the large central staircase, and the materials for the mural were donated by an anonymous lover of art.[2][3] In 1998, professional art conservator Dr. Duane Chartier was hired to conduct a conservation/stabilization project on the mural while working with Dr. Pat Rucker, Dean of the ENMU Fine Arts Department.[4]Two abstract murals were painted and also planned to be displayed as a pair in the Administration Building. Raymond Jonson painted "Art" and "Science" in 1937. As of 2022, "Art" is still housed in the Administration Building, but "Science" has been moved to the Golden Student Success Building.

The Administration Building was the first building to be used when the school opened in 1934 as Eastern New Mexico Junior College.Several pieces of artwork can be found in this building. The Administration Building boasts a large mural painted under the WPA in 1936 by Lloyd Moylan title "The 12th Chapter of Ecclesiastes". An additional mural by Moylan faces it across the hall but is not a WPA work. The abstract mural "Art" by Raymond Jonson is displayed in this building, and it's companion piece "Science" is housed in the Golden Student Success Center.

Administration Building, Eastern New Mexico University

The museum was founded in 1940 through funding and labor provided by the Works Project Administration (WPA) and is located on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University. An interest for a county museum was shown with the need for historic artifacts that would allow for county citizens to learn of the history of the area, and there were a number of items that needed to be preserved, including a skeleton that was found near Arch, New Mexico January of 1938 that was later found to be the skeleton of prehistoric man.[1] The skeleton was shipped to Harvard University to be examined, and was returned in time for the opening of the museum.[2]The WPA allocated $19,000 for the construction of the building, and sponsors were making efforts to raise $3,000. The entire project was estimated to cost about $22,000.[3] By October of 1939, Mr. Floyd Golden, the President of ENMU, received a letter from the district WPA supervisor stating that sponsor funds would be needed quickly in order to ensure that building material was available to start work on constructing the museum.[4] WPA workers began the foundation on November 7, 1939, with the Portales Daily News urging sponsors to make the payments that were pledged so that materials could be made readily available.[5] By December, materials were ready to begin construction of the walls, and there were efforts to raise another $1,000 to complete the second story while WPA labor could be utilized.[6]In February of 1940, the News was again advertising the need for an extra $1,000 to complete the second story. It was also reported that having museum located on the Eastern New Mexico College campus allowed Roosevelt County Society of Art, History and Archaeology to both accept WPA assistance in constructing the building, and save money on maintaining the museum.[7] It was supplied with both permanent and travelling exhibits by the State Museum, of which it was designated a depository.[8]The formal opening of the museum was announced to be Sunday, November 17, 1940, and the opening exhibits were set to contain mainly local historical material, alongside other art displays and items provided by the State Museum.[9] One of the displays on opening day was an American flag older than the state of New Mexico. The flag was donated to the museum by Mrs. J.E. Camp, and had only 46 stars.[10] After the initial opening, the museum had regular hours in the afternoons from 2:30 to 5 o’clock.[11]<ul><li>"The Spring" by Kenneth Adams: The drawing is an abstract picture of 2 women carrying water buckets. May have been conserved by the New Mexico Chapter of the NNDPA in 2010.</li><li>"Christmas Eve" by Glenn Koss: This work displays the Taos Pueblo. It may have been conserved by the New Mexico Chapter of the NNDPA in 2010. Glenn Koss was an American painter who lived from 1903-1966.</li></ul>

The museum was founded in 1940 through funding provided by the Works Project Administration (WPA). A couple of New Deal art pieces are housed in the building. It is located on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University. The museum is open to members of the public during regular houses and can host tours with advance notice.

Roosevelt County Historical Museum

Eastern New Mexico University's Quay Hall was constructed in 1935-36. It was originally intended to operate as a women's dormitory. Financed through the Works Progress Administration with federal loans and grants, the cost was close to $48,000.[1] Floyd Golden stated that the dorm was "designed to house sixty girls, two to a room, with a bathroom between each two rooms." [3]In September of 1935, Portales Daily News reported that contracts had been let for a $40,000 dormitory in order to take care of the lack of housing available for students. By October 10th, the Board of Regents had been in session all day preparing to contract O.R. Walker as the architect for the dorm.[4] Construction had begun on the building by the 21st of October.[5] The Portales Daily News reported in January of 1936 that the construction would be completed in 90 days, and that there were 16 men working on the construction. There were 36 rooms in the building, including two lounge rooms, two recreation rooms, and a sun-room.[6] By March of the same year, the roofing was nearly finished.[7] Construction was finished and furniture for the building was ordered by August.[8] The Portales Daily News reported October 1st that the dedication ceremony of the new girls' dorm and the administration building would be featured as a part of the Roosevelt County Fair.[9]Quay hall is currently being used for office spaces. Heating and cooling efficiency was put in place via the replacement of the original windows, and the interior has been renovated so that the building can act as an office space. However, the exterior of the building has not been changed (Pearson 12).[1]

Originally widely called "North Hall", ENMU’s Quay Hall was constructed as a women's dormitory as a New Deal project in 1935-6. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a loan and a grant to cover most of the cost of the project, amounting in $34,000 and $15,000, respectively. The total cost of the project amounted to $53,652.

Quay Hall

State Register SRCP 106, National Register 2-23-90The Portales Post Office Building was the first and is the only federally recognized post office. The Supervising Architect was Louis A. Simon, assigned through the Federal Government[7]. The building's construction finished in 1937, and was built with funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The Chamber of Commerce was given the go-ahead to request the Federal Post Office building in 1931, with the Portales Valley News stating that the Post Office was, at this point, in the First National Bank[1] . By January of 1934, according to New Mexico Senator Bronson Cutting, the building had not yet been approved, but the request was under review by the administration of the National Recovery Act [2] . The News reported on May 24 1934 that the project had been approved by both the Post Office and Treasury departments, and was under consideration by the Public Works Administration[3] . By June of 1935, funding of $83,000 was approved to build a new Portales Post Office[4] .On August 15, 1935, the Portales Valley News headline read “Post Office Building Approved.” According to the article, word had been received that construction and funds had been approved, and that bids for the site of the new building would be called for within the week[5] . By October of 1936, construction was well under way, with most of the steel reinforcements in place and concrete scheduled to be poured[6] . The Tribune reported in February of 1937 that construction would be completed soon[7] , and the building dedication took place on June 5, 1937, featuring music performances, an introduction of prominent citizens who assisted in securing the building, and a dedication speech by Congressman J.J. Dempsey[8] .The Post Office is plain in design, being single-story red brick sitting atop a raised basement. Aside from the limestone bas reliefs on the front of the building depicting a train, airplane, and boat (representing mail delivery by land, air, and water), there is no significant detailing present on the exterior of the building[9] . In the late 1960s, a wing was added to the rear portion of the building, featuring the same detailing as the original structure, but the limestone was replaced with cast concrete in the new addition[7] .In 1938, Theodore Van Soelen, a significant Santa Fe artist, completed a mural that is in the lobby over the postmaster’s door. The mural was completed with funding from the Federal Works Agency Section of Fine Arts. The Section of Fine Arts was established in 1934 by the Treasury Department, originally called the Section of Painting and Sculpture. The name was changed to the “Section of Fine Arts” in 1938[10] . The mural is approximately 5’x12’ in measurement, and Van Soelen stated that he had one year to complete the mural, being required to submit a sketch before starting the painting. He met with the Postmistress at the time, Lillian Howard, who told the Portales Tribune that the mural was going to have colors that blended with the tones on the walls of the Post Office building[11] . Van Soelen completed extensive research to begin the mural, including bringing grass into his studio to ensure accuracy, going to zoos to observe bison, and sketching museum specimens. He was elected Honorary Fellow in Fine Arts by the School of American Research, Santa Fe, in 1960, and was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1940[12] .

This Classical Revival style building was funded by the Works Public Administration (WPA) and completed in 1937. In 1938, Theodore Van Soelen painted a mural, "Buffalo Range", in the lobby over the postmaster's door. It is oil on canvas and measures approximately 5'x12'. The mural depicts a herd of buffalo on a plain.

Portales Post Office

The courthouse was built on the location of its predecessor, a 2-story frame construction with cement block walls. The current building is a 4-story reinforced concrete structure with Art Deco elements. The Board of Commissioners applied for a PWA grant to construct a new, updated facility. Construction for the new courthouse began in December 1937 and was completed in 1939. Robert E. Merrell was hired as the architect for the courthouse project by October 1937. The project was supervised by R.K. Erhard, employing 30-70 workers, hiring unskilled laborers from the rolls of the Federal Employment Office in Clovis.[2]﻿The Roosevelt County Courthouse was built with funding assistance from the PWA from 1937-1939. It is considered one of architect Robert E. Merrell’s most famous works[2], and stands tall in the middle of Portales as one of the town’s most eye-catching buildings. It was constructed due to the poor state of the original courthouse, which was significantly smaller and did not possess the means to function in a way that the county needed it to.Originally the PWA bond was voted against, citing the poor economy in Roosevelt County and no one wanted to add more debt to the already tense situation. Some county leaders also noted that they may not have sufficiently communicated about the state of the original courthouse. [2] In the 1930’s, the original courthouse was considered a fire hazard. One advertisement advocating for citizens voting to pass the PWA bond from April of 1937 states that “the court house is the store room of your most valuable records. It is a fire trap.”[3] There was not a safe place for county records to be stored in the old courthouse, which was changed with the installment of fireproof vaults in the new building.The courthouse was originally set to be completed between 10 and 14 months from the start of construction. Bids on the construction of the new courthouse started in November of 1937, and the building was completed by November of 1938, when the first offices were preparing to be moved back into the building from their temporary relocations. [4] Immediately after finishing the project, the new courthouse was the site of celebrations, the first being a celebration of the finalization of the construction on January 5, 1939. This celebration included a basket lunch, parade, and a square dance and fiddler’s contest.[5]Displaying the cooperation of New Deal Agencies, a project taken on by the Works Project Administration razed the old courthouse as it was being torn down, taking what was still usable to the county fairgrounds to recycle the pieces in what are now the existing livestock show barns.[2] In the mid-1990s, the original metal casement windows in the courthouse were replaced to ensure that the building was more climate-friendly. A glass vestibule was also added to provide handicap access to the elevator, removing the staircase that led to the third floor, which contained the jail and jailer’s residence.[2] Now, the third floor of the courthouse contains the County Administration office, which includes the offices of the County Manager and Human Resources, among others.[6]

This 4-story, 1938 Art Deco style courthouse replaced a smaller courthouse on the same location. It was built to serve as a courthouse and a jail. It was partially funded with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds; the final cost for the building was $18,756. The county celebrated the completion on January 5, 1939.

Roosevelt County Courthouse

The Portales City Park and swimming pool were constructed as New Deal projects in 1936, partially funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The funds allotted by the government amounted to $16,000. Cement and labor were furnished by the WPA, and the city furnished about 10% of the materials. Original construction included a sunken garden, a wading pool, tennis courts, and a softball field. A January 1936 newspaper article reported that 2,000 loads of caliche were removed for the sunken garden, some of which was traded for fertilizer.The foreman, J.A. Fairly, and the timekeeper were not chosen from relief rolls, but all additional labor was. All labor was from the city of Portales, a demonstration of how a WPA project could provide income for residents of a city while also raising the quality of life for those residents. As of January 1936, work had been going for 2.5 months with 24 men working 40 hours a week, and plans were for it to be finished in another 4 months. [1] By March, much of the groundwork had been done, and C.E. Hollied, WPA landscape engineer, came to Portales to spend several days laying out the greenery. The plans called for eight Spruce, sixteen Arbor Vitoes, thirty-two Creeping Junipers, two hundred roses for the beds, and a hedge of California Privot around the top of the garden.[2]Excavation for the municipal pool began in January 1942 with supervisors anticipating a completion date before July 1. A special City Council meeting was held the evening of January 12, 1942 to authorize the construction of this WPA project. There were nineteen WPA workers on the job, and it was anticipated that they would all be able to stay on the project before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The city council issued $7,500 in revenue bonds for construction more than a year prior. The blueprints were drawn by Robert Merrell of Clovis for a 50x150 pool, graduated from 2-10 feet in depth. There were to be bathhouses on one side (83x22 feet) with a lobby in the center. Bathhouses included showers, changing stalls, and foot baths to be used before entering the pool.[3] The pool opened on June 27, 1942 (Saturday) to a crowd of 350 enjoying a free swim. The next day saw 275 paid swimmers.[4]

The Portales City Park and swimming pool were constructed as New Deal projects in 1936, partially funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Cement and labor were furnished by the WPA, and the city furnished about 10% of the materials. Original construction included a sunken garden, a wading pool, tennis courts, and a softball field.

New Deal Walking Tour

Eastern New Mexico State Park

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information