Preserving the Historic Amador Hotel
The restoration of the Amador Hotel, an essential piece of Las Cruces history, began in 2010. The City of Las Cruces is working with members of the community, including the Amador Hotel Foundation, to restore the building’s exterior to what is considered its “period of significance” – guided by a historic photo from the mid-1930s. The West façade is now complete, including the removal of modern concrete stucco, repair of the original adobes and the application of lime plaster.
Future construction phases for the Amador Hotel include:
- The replacement and associated structural repairs of the high roof.
- The restoration and associated structural repairs of the remaining exterior walls, as well as the reconstruction of the territorial period portico at the main entrance.
- The full renovation of the first floor, the restoration of the lower roofs, and landscaping.
- The rehabilitation of the second-floor spaces, completion of new elevator tower and restrooms and construction of the patio.
Please check back for updates as restoration progresses!
The Amador Hotel Returns – as a cultural, social and commercial center
Once the restoration described above is complete, the Amador Hotel will once again take its rightful place as both the cultural bridge between the Mesquite Historic District to the east and the historic Alameda Depot District to the west, and as the living room and social center of a revitalized Downtown Las Cruces. Once complete, the Amador will serve as an event and meeting center featuring museum-quality exhibits that highlight early Las Cruces history and culture.
About the Amador
Over a century ago, Don Martín Amador remodeled his one-story building at the corner of Water Street and Amador Avenue to serve a growing Las Cruces as its first post office, jail, and temporary courthouse. Once the permanent County court house was completed, Amador remodeled his building again in 1885 converting it into a two-story hotel and theater. The hotel was family owned and operated for the next 83 years.
Changing times, however, took its toll and urban renewal decimated downtown Las Cruces. The hotel was sold, remodeled and re-opened in 1970 as Citizens Bank of Las Cruces. The property later served as the Dona Ana County’s Manger Complex after the bank moved in 1983 to its current location. After being an integral part of daily activity in Las Cruces for more than 120 years, the Amador fell silent in 2006 when County staff locked the doors for the final time as they moved into the new County Government Center on Motel Boulevard.
The Amador Hotel Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2006, whose mission is to work collaboratively with the City of Las Cruces to preserve and restore the Amador Hotel. In December 2009, the Las Cruces City Council signed a formal resolution acknowledging that the Amador Hotel:
- Is a unique and important cultural and historic icon;
- Anchors Main Street and serves as the gateway to a revitalized Downtown;
- Provides a social destination to gather, learn, and interact;
- Ensures economic development through heritage tourism, as a multi-use community event center, museum, and visitor destination.
