Events

The "Maloof House" new on the 2013 tour.

Places With a Past Adds New Properties and Revisits Old Favorites

The 24th year of Places With a Past Historic Homes Tour, a Las Vegas, N.M. celebration of history, architecture and preservation, takes place on Saturday, Aug. 3 as part of Heritage Week festivities. The 2013 tour features eight properties in several of the dozen historic districts around town. The event is the annual fund raiser for the local Citizens’ Committee for Historic Preservation, an organization launched in 1977 after a group of people became concerned that many of the graceful old homes were being torn down or falling prey to neglect.
 
Since then more than 900 buildings have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Saving the past through conscientious protective ordinances has assured Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores de Las Vegas Grandes (the original name of Las Vegas), would actively preserve and promote the city’s history and how it has shaped it present.
 
Board member Martha McCaffery said the most important thing about the tour this year is that all of the houses are new or have not been on the tour for a very long time.
“To me it is great to have the restored Maloof home featured.  Kathy and Bill Hendrickson have done a great job of restoring it. We are expecting a tour from Albuquerque to come and with the advertising that has been done we are hoping for a large turn out. The money raised by the tour will help LVCCHP fulfill its mission and continue to support activities throughout the year. PWAP is also a chance for us to show everyone what a great place Las Vegas is.”
 

Montezuma Castle, a favorite site on the tour.

In a 1990 CCHP brochure a historian wrote: “The story of early Las Vegas is told not only in architectural styling and details, but also in the locations of these houses, their date of construction and in the stories of the people who built them. Las Vegas is a unique citywide outdoor museum, with examples chronicling New Mexico’s architectural and cultural history from its early Hispanic Traditional low adobe structure in Old Town, to its massive elegant borrowed Victorian styles in the North New Town historic district.”

Montezuma Castle, a Queen Anne style structure that has risen from the ashes of fires on two separate occasions in it early history, is one of the highlights of the tour. There are seven other equally fascinating properties, including the recently renovated home at 825 7th Street, formerly owned by the Maloof family. Another first timer on the tour is the Judge Leahy House, 1028 7th Street. It is of historic significance for its architectural style and its former owners. This Shingle Style house is dated as pre-1902 and is one of a half dozen Shingle Style houses remaining in New Mexico.
Docents at each location talk about the history of the properties and include interesting facts about the owners at the time the structures were built.
 
This year’s PWAP tour chair is Kathy Hendrickson, a fairly new resident of Las Vegas, and owner of the Maloof house.
 
“While looking for a place to call home a few years back, my husband and I knew Las Vegas was the place as soon as we arrived,” Hendrickson said. “The greeting of the Calumet Gal on the side of the building, the walk up Bridge Street, the beautiful historic homes, and of course, the great people and characters we met from that first day we arrived, made us feel welcomed to the community.”
 Their affection for Las Vegas has grown since their arrival.
 
“We purchased and renovated one of the more prominent homes in town, known locally as the Maloof House. As soon as I saw the house, I knew I wanted to save it. My husband and I spent a lot of time going to the LVCCHP doing research on our home and asking a lot of questions. This led me to my decision to join the CCHP because of their mission to preserve and promote the historic heritage of Las Vegas.
 
“As chairperson of Places With A Past Historic Homes Tour, I am very excited about this upcoming tour, especially because most of the venues are newly renovated and new to the tour, including our home. This is an event that I am particularly passionate about and speaks to my heart, and one of the reasons we love Las Vegas!”

At a Glance:
What: CCHP 2013 People With a Past Tour
When: Aug. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost:  $20 per person
For more information: 505 425-8803

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Las Vegas, NM

Blowin in the Wind New on Bridge Street

If you haven’t been to Blowin in the Wind you must stop by. Margaret and David Smith have created a beautiful bright space and filled it with irresistible items, much of it treasured mementos from their previous home, a 7,500 square foot property decorated in charming eclectic style. You look at what they have and immediately picture it in your own home.
In my interview with Margaret she talked about what took her away from the area many years ago, and why she and David returned. The couple live in Pendaries and enjoy the challenges and joys of their new shop.

Margaret was born in Rociada, N.M., but didn’t spend much time there. She was adopted by her older sister when she was small and spent most of her growing up years in Colorado. She and David moved back to the area in 2006 from Nine Mile Falls, Wash.

“I have come here on vacation every year since I was born,” Margaret said. “My real mother and the sister who adopted me both died in 2004. I don’t know why, but I had this need to move here. I can’t explain it. I just had to move back to Rociada. Now I live here and vacation from here.”

She said they opened the new shop because her artist husband had it on his bucket list.

“David is a fourth generation carpenter. He makes all the wood urns, bowls, art pieces and pine furniture we are featuring at Blowin in the Wind.”

Formerly his father made many of the sculpture pieces, but David is an artist in his own right.

“We took his parents to Sedona, Ariz., 15 years ago. David’s father fell in love with the wind sculptures. He started making them and hasn’t done any woodworking since. We live in Pendaries and I have many pieces David’s father made for us. Golfers frequently ask to buy them, but I can’t sell them. I used to give my father-in-law’s phone number, and people would order from him. He would ship directly to them. He is 75 now and sells the sculptures out of his yard. He doesn’t want to do the shipping.”

David’s father suggested he make the sculptures and sell them instead, which he has been doing for a number of years.

“David normally sells his art at the annual Pendaries art show every 4th of July. This year the show was cancelled. David had worked all winter and had no room at his shop. We thought it might be a good time to start on that bucket list.

The Smiths looked at a lot options when searching for a location. Initially they were thinking of a small space, but the building at 108 Bridge Street had everything they were looking for, most importantly big windows to showcase David’s wind sculptures.

“This spot was bigger than we were looking for but I told David I could fill it.” And fill it she did. Along with the wind sculptures and wood pieces David makes, Blowin in the Wind carries clothing, jewelry and may other items.

“These are things I’ve had in storage since we moved  here. I broke my foot the day we moved into our house in Pendaries. By the time I got out of the cast and boot I had gone from a size 0 to a size 10. Once I got out of the cast and boot I lost the weight and that’s why I have so may clothing sizes. I never got a chance to wear most of them so the original tags are still on them, along with the price I have marked them down to. I also have made a dent in my jewelry collection. I call it my artsy fartsy jewelry. It’s not expensive, just fun pieces I have collected over the years. Necklaces start at $15. At that price they won’t last long. I have a ton of candles that start at $2. We also have many New Mexico art pieces I have collected since we moved here.”

It is evident the second you walk into the store that Margaret loves clothing. She intends to expand her stock over time, but for now she invites buyers to check out the spring garments she has on the racks.

“I will start bringing fall and winter clothes in August. The sizes will still be 0 to 10 until next spring when I get to shop again.”

Margaret said the shop’s best selling items are the copper double spinner’s like the one on the store sign, and the Dahlia’s.

“They’re made in copper and any color the customer wants. David does custom orders, and it is up to a two week wait,” she said.

The store is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Margaret is aided in the store’s operation by sales associate Connie Garcia. For more information call 505 454-1050.

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This article also appears in Happenstance Magazine, published by Happenstance Publishing. For more information go to www.vandermeerbooks.com.