Doña Ana County Courthouse Historical Marker

Today I'm posting about the old Doña Ana County Courthouse, located in central Las Cruces in between Amador and Lohman Drive between the intersections of Main Street and Alameda Avenue (see it in the map HERE). The courthouse opened in 1937 and was the county courthouse until 2008, when county business moved less than a mile to the south to the new, state of the art courthouse.

The building, which was partially funded by the Works Progress Administration, was the sixth county courthouse to be utilized in Doña Ana County (founded in 1851), and is listed on the National Historical Registry.

The building is in the revival adobe style with exposed vigas and adobe style structure all around. Sadly, the building, which has been "under renovation" since its closing in 2008, doesn't look too great these days. The building itself is said to be in solid shape, but the area is already showing major signs of neglect. I had fun walking around with my son, but did get that creepy alone even though I was in the center of town surrounded by traffic feeling.

The photo to the right shows the building in its early days. Even though it sits alone now, it is a great example of the architecture of the area, and is a great piece of history for those living in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County. If learning about courthouses is your thing, you can find out a little more about this courthouse (there's not much out there) at:

• Courthouse History: More photos of the courthouse throughout the years.
• The Living New Deal: A little bit of information on the old courthouse.