New Mexico Tourism Department
The New Mexico Tourism Department is a state agency of New Mexico, headquartered in the Lamy Building in Santa Fe.Jean-Baptiste Lamy, who had arrived in New Mexico in 1851 to find that formal schooling in the territory was nonexistent. After establishing the Loretto Academy for girls in 1852, Lamy recruited the
De La Salle Christian Brothers
french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes
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, abbreviation = FSC
, nickname = Lasallians
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, formation ...
to open a similar school for boys, and St. Michael's held its first classes in the fall of 1859. In the 1870s, the school appointed a new leader, Brother Botulph, who oversaw its growth into an institution of higher learning. Under Botulph, St. Michael's began offering high school diplomas, and later, teaching certificates. In 1874 it received a charter from the territorial legislature, making it the oldest chartered college in New Mexico.Colleges and Universities City of Santa Fe Economic Development The college eventually phased out its post-secondary courses but continued to operate as St. Michael's High School, while a new St. Michael's College was established at a separate campus in 1947.
In 1877, Brother Botulph started a fundraising campaign to construct a new building for the school which netted sheep, goats, and cattle in addition to cash and building materials. Ground was broken on the building in April 1878 and it was ready for classes by November. The first two stories were constructed from adobe, while the third floor was wood-framed to save weight. In 1926, the wooden upper story was destroyed by a fire, reducing the building to its present two-story height. After this, it remained in use as a dormitory but was vacated when St. Michael's moved to a new campus in 1966. The building was sold to the state of New Mexico and renamed in honor of Archbishop Lamy; it now houses the
New Mexico Tourism Department
The New Mexico Tourism Department is a state agency of New Mexico, headquartered in the Lamy Building in Santa Fe.Territorial Revival style in the 1950s, adding brick coping and a
bellcote
A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...
to the parapet. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
and
New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultura ...
In its present form, the building is a nearly symmetrical two-story adobe structure, in length by in width with a two-story
Territorial Style
Territorial Style was an architectural style of building developed and used in Santa Fe de Nuevo México, popularized after the founding of Albuquerque in 1706. Reintroduced during the New Mexico Territory from the time of the Mexican and American ...
''portal'' or
veranda
A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure.
Although the form ''vera ...
wrapping around the north and east sides. The original wooden third floor had a mansard roof with evenly spaced
dormer window
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...
s, a gambrel-roofedcross-gable above the main entrance, and a tall tower. After the fire in 1926, the building was truncated at the second floor with a flat roof. The present brick coping and bellcote were added during a 1950s remodeling.