Adobe Structure (White Sands Natl Visitor Center), NM
N 32° 46.772 W 106° 10.344
13S E 390204 N 3627454
The adobe structure that houses the White Sands Natl Monument Visitors Center was built by the WPA.
Waymark Code: WMD1HP
Location: New Mexico, United States
Date Posted: 11/06/2011
Views: 18
The pueblo-adobe “(“Pueblo-Revival”) building that houses the White Sands National Monument Visitors Center was constructed by WPA laborers during the Great Depression beginning in 1936 and was completed in 1938 at a cost of $31,600.
Construction of this adobe structure included sixteen inch thick mud bricks containing straw and mud that dried in the sun. Adobe structures require special maintenance to avoid damage by moisture and also excessive drying, but are generally cooler than buildings made of other materials. This structure was created using local methods and design features and architecture features, such as the use of viga and savina (vigas are the large pine logs that support the ceiling, savinas are the split wood coverings over the vigas). The structure is also furnished with period furniture in a typical Indian-Spanish design. Lighting is made of tinware, and decorative combed glass is featured in the lighting features near the entrance.
The following is quoted from the interpretive display at the visitors center:
........................................................
Building the White Sands Visitor Center.
White Sands National Monument was established in 1933. Visitor facilities were designed and constructed over the next six years during the nation's Great Depression, a time of economic hardship. Funds and labor for the project were secured through the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA)
The Pueblo Revival Style
National Park Service arthitects Lyle E Bennett and Robert W. Alberts designed the buildings to reflect the traditional regional architecture. They relied on the efforts of local craftspeople for some of the more ornate design elements.
Details of the construction:
Canales - roof drain spouts formed from halved hollow logs.
Vigas - wooden beams, often peeled trunks, that hold up the roof of an adobe structure. The ends of these beams extend past the outer walls.
Litallas - Lighter weight wood slats that run crossways under the vigas to provide support, for the ceilings.
Project type: Park structure/building (other than lodge)
Date built or created: Begun in 1936 and completed in 1938 & remodeled 2011
Location: White Sands National Monument
City: Alamagordo
Condition: Pristine condition
Website for additional information: [Web Link]
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