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