Mayor says deal to save historic building in the works as owners seek to demolish

Justin Garcia, Las Cruces Sun-News
·2 min read

LAS CRUCES - Mayor Ken Miyagishima and City Manager Ifo Pili confirmed Monday that the owners of the historic clubhouse on the old Las Cruces County Club property are seeking a permit to demolish the building. Efforts to save the building are also in motion, the mayor said.

Today, the building stands in a dirt lot covered in graffiti and surrounded by dead cottonwoods. But in its day, the iconic building was a community gathering place and surrounded by golf course greens.

El Paso-based Trost & Trost Architects and Engineers designed and built the structure in 1929. The country club was sold about a decade ago. The property's new owners have sought to demolish the clubhouse building after the city rezoned the area in September.

Community Development Director Larry Nichols confirmed on Tuesday that the owners submitted an application, and the department was in the midst of a review.

“Once the process and reviews are completed, a permit will be issued,” Nichols said.

Over the weekend, an email chain began circulating in Las Cruces. The virtual letters showed an assembly of local preservationists calling for resistance to the demolition.

The mayor’s deal

Before a regularly scheduled Las Cruces City Council meeting on Monday, Miyagishima addressed the email chain. First, he confirmed the demolition permit was under review. Then, he said he’d called one of the owners and asked for a stay of execution.

“He’s actually willing to give the building away,” Miyagishima said.

He said the owners were willing to delay demolition so that a coalition of people could move the building to a different location. Miyagishima said he estimated the cost to do so would be about $290,000.

“The current owner said he’d be willing to donate the amount he was going to spend on demolition,” Miyagishima said, “which was $40,000.”

Miyagishima said the city could fork over $125,000. That leaves $125,000 for the community to raise, he said.

The next time the building conversation will likely emerge is on Dec. 14 during a previously scheduled Historic Preservation Commission Meeting on Dec. 14. No agenda for the meeting has been posted as of the publication of this article. However, the commission typically meets in the City Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m.

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Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Mayor says deal to save historic building in the works as owners seek to demolish