CITY CODES SPECIFIC TO THE SOUTH MESQUITE DISTRICT:
The South Mesquite Historic District and original town site founded in 1849 contains one of the largest concentration
s of original adobe homes in the United States. The City of Las Cruces recognizes the jewel that we have here in southern New Mexico and has deemed it worthy of preservation for us here now and for generations to come. The City has devoted a section of the municipal code to preserving and protecting our neighborhood:
Las Cruces Municipal Code, Article V, Section 38-49.2 <-- Click to view Codes
As part of our mission to preserve and protect the buildings in the District, Las Esperanzas supports this section of the municipal code. If you are planning any changes to the exterior of any home or building within the South Mesquite Overlay, like changing windows, building or moving a fence, putting on an addition, adding a storage shed, to name a few, please be sure to visit with the Community Development Department at the Las Cruces City Hall while you are still in the planning phase and before you start any work on your building.
DOCUMENTS
Mesquite Historic District and Original Town Site
LAS eSPERANZAS, INC.
MESQUITE HISTORIC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN PLAN
In 2004 Weisiger and Associates conducted a survey of the Historic District. Seven hundred houses were surveyed and a comprehensive neighborhood design plan was developed. This 61 page document <-- Click to view Survey and Plan contains maps of the District, current conditions of the Historic District as they were in 2004 and a vision of what the South Mesquite Historic District could be like in the future.
LAS ESPERANZAS CONSOLIDATED PROPERTY INVENTORY - 2015
Surveys of the buildings in the Mesquite Historic District were conducted by various organizations in 1980, 1995 and 2004. In 2015, Las Esperanzas combined and summarized those three surveys along with the other properties in the District into one Microsoft Excel spreadsheet package with links to pictures of those properties. Las Esperanzas has made this package available to those who can benefit from it. However, the data package is over 200 MB, too large for download from this site. Please make a request via our contact form <-- Click to access form and we will help make arrangements for you to get a copy.
ORGANIZATION DOCUMENTS:
Las Esperanzas is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The corporation is registered with the Attorney General of New Mexico as a
NM Charitable Organization. We invite you to review some of our important organizational documents:
Our Articles of Incorporation <-- Click to view
Our Bylaws <-- Click to view our revised 2016 Bylaws
HOW THE MESQUITE HISTORIC DISTRICT SURVIVED URBAN RENEWAL
This article, originally published on the Place Shakers and Newsmakers website <-- Click to view their website, was republished by Better Cities and Towns <-- Click to view their website . It tells the story of how our South Mesquite Historic District escaped the "open heart surgery" that took place in downtown Las Cruces in the 1960s. How the Mesquite Historic District survived urban renewal <--Click to view article.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ARTICLE ABOUT THE MESQUITE HISTORIC DISTRICT AS PART OF THE CAMINO REAL
The Camino Real (El Camino Real de Tierra Aden
tro) is the historic trail that led from Mexico City to just north of Santa Fe during the Spanish Colonial days. The National Park Service presents a series of articles about the Camino Real, including one devoted to the Mesquite Historic District <-- Click to view the article which is located along the historic trail.