124 Years of History: New Mexico’s longtime State and Territorial Capitol building added to State Register of Cultural Properties

The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA) is proud to announce that New Mexico’s former Territorial and State Capitol building, now known as Bataan Memorial Building, has been added to the State Register of Cultural Properties.

“For more than six decades, the historic Bataan Memorial Building served as the seat of New Mexico’s government, first as a territory and later as a U.S. state,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “The capitol played a key role in enabling New Mexico to achieve statehood in 1912, and it housed the executive, legislative, and, for a period, judicial branches of government before a new state capitol was completed in 1966. It’s fitting that the Bataan Building be honored with a placement on the State Register of Cultural Properties.”

Today, the building houses several departments of state government, including NMDFA, NMDCA, Office of the State Engineer, NMDVS, and Secretary of State. On Friday, Dec. 6, the Cultural Properties Review Committee (CPRC) voted unanimously to add the building to the State Register of Cultural Properties. Collectively, the Cabinet Secretaries of the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (NMDFA), NMDCA, New Mexico Department of Veteran Services (NMDVS), and the New Mexico General Services Department sought the nomination in recognition of the building’s importance to New Mexico history and its memorialization of New Mexico veterans.

"This building reflects our unique New Mexico, from its distinctive architecture to its significant place in the history of our state to its memorials honoring those who served our country,” said Cultural Properties Review Committee Chairman Ronald Toya. “It deserves to take its place of honor on our State Register of Cultural Properties.”

"I’ve been coming to the Bataan Memorial Building since I started my career in state government 20 years ago, but it wasn’t until I became secretary two years ago that I truly fell in love with this building," said DFA Cabinet Secretary Wayne Propst. "Listing the Bataan Memorial Building on the State Register of Cultural Properties and investing in its upkeep ensures we appropriately honor and pay tribute to those who fought at Bataan and the survivors of the death march."

NMDFA and NMDCA jointly funded the research and drafting of the nomination.

“As the former seat of New Mexico’s state government and the site of memorials honoring New Mexico’s fallen heroes, the historic and cultural significance of the Bataan Memorial Building cannot be overstated,” said NMDCA Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego. “We are grateful to see that history enshrined in the State Register for future generations to appreciate.”

Occupying the block between Galisteo Street and Don Gaspar Avenue, the original portion of the building was completed in 1900, more than a decade before New Mexico statehood. It served as New Mexico’s Territorial Capitol, with space for the offices of the Territorial Governor, Auditor, Attorney General, and other key figures on the first floor, and chambers for the Supreme Court and Territorial Council (a predecessor of the State Senate), on the second. The building was constructed with an eye toward statehood, built in the Neoclassical Revival style and modeled after the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. and several state capitol buildings across the country.

When New Mexico was granted statehood in 1912, the building remained the seat of power for the newly minted state’s government, housing two legislative chambers and offices of the Governor. A library was added in 1910, with a connected office included in 1923. In 1952, state leaders completed a major remodel of the capitol that recast the building in the Territorial Revival style, adding a tower and a U-shaped addition along Galisteo Street that created an interior courtyard. This remodel also included a pink-and-blue marble dado and terrazzo floors with medallions and the seal of the State of New Mexico. It continued to serve as New Mexico’s State Capitol until 1966, when the Roundhouse was completed.

In 1968, the building was renamed the Bataan Memorial Building, in memory of New Mexico’s 200th Coast Artillery regiment, which suffered the Bataan Death March. Of the 1,800 men in the regiment, fewer than 900 made it home, and many of those who returned died within a year from various complications. The grounds include New Mexico’s Eternal Flame, which memorializes the memory of the men in the 200th Regiment, and the State of New Mexico Veterans’ Services Memorial, added to the property in 1966 and 2005, respectively.

The building’s nomination will now be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register for possible inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information about this iconic New Mexico building and its path to the National Register, visit nmhistoricpreservation.org.

About New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs: Created in 1978 by the New Mexico Legislature, the Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA) is New Mexico’s cultural steward, charged with preserving and showcasing the state’s cultural riches. With its eight museums, eight historic sites, arts, archaeology, historic preservation, and library programs, NMDCA is one of the largest and most diverse state cultural agencies in the nation. Together, the facilities, programs, and services of the Department support a $5.6 billion cultural industry in New Mexico.