RELEASE: Fort Stanton receives recognition for ongoing investment in preserving New Mexico�s History
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RELEASE: Fort Stanton receives recognition for ongoing investment in preserving New Mexico’s history Fort Stanton honored at 54th annual Heritage Preservation Awards FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 10, 2026 Media Contact: Christina Claassen PR Specialist, NM Dept. of Cultural Affairs christina.claassen@dca.nm.gov 505-946-7149 FORT STANTON, NM – Fort Stanton Historic Site, one of eight New Mexico Historic Sites, earned recognition with an Architectural Heritage Preservation Award for rehabilitating four significant historic structures on the site: the Visitor Center (1855), Laundress Quarters (1876), Hospital (1936), and Nurses’ Quarters (1941). The award, presented by the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee on May 29, 2026, in Albuquerque, recognizes major preservation work that protects and revitalizes significant historic buildings in New Mexico ensuring they remain available to future generations. “Fort Stanton is arguably the most complex built environment in New Mexico,” said Oliver Horn, Fort Stanton and Lincoln Historic Sites Regional Manager. “As the most intact Territorial-era fort remaining in the Southwest, intertwined with a New Deal-era medical facility, Fort Stanton preserves the stories of Mescalero Apache people, Civil War soldiers, Buffalo Soldiers, laundresses, doctors, nurses, and countless others who shaped the history of the region.” The Visitor Center was originally built as military barracks in 1855 and housed US troops protecting settlers as the nation expanded westward. The old shake shingle roof was a fire hazard not suited for New Mexico’s dry climate. The building received a new synthetic roof preserving its historic appearance and providing a Class A fire rating with a lifespan of 50-years. The Laundress Quarters was built by Buffalo Soldiers from the 9th Cavalry in 1876 after the US Civil War and is a memorial to the women who supported military life at the fort. Historians believe it may be the last surviving building in the state directly connected to nineteenth century black military troops and their history. The Hospital, built in 1936, is an important part of the state’s healthcare history serving as one of the nation’s leading tuberculosis treatment facilities and helping establish New Mexico’s modern health care system. The Nurses’ Quarters, completed in 1941, was designed by one of the nation's leading New Deal-era architects, Louis A. Simon. He designed the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in New York the same year he designed the Nurses Quarters at Fort Stanton. The award-winning rehabilitation projects are part of a broader investment of $10 million in infrastructure improvements across Fort Stanton Historic Site in recent years. “These projects demonstrate the importance of preserving the places that tell New…