May is National Preservation Month, and Santa Fe is finally having the difficult conversations it needs.
Our April 18th op-ed, Imagine There’s No Historic Board, has drawn defensive reactions from the Santa Fe New Mexican’s editorial board, Paul Weideman, and Nancy Wirth. These responses raise critical questions: How much longer will we conflate NIMBYism with stewardship, sweep aside the inequitable outcomes of outdated policy, or propose incremental reforms when a wholesale rethinking is decades overdue?
We agree that style and preservation are essential to Santa Fe’s sense of place. But they are almost always framed as a guard against loss, or a zero-sum fight against change to a mostly imagined past—all at tremendous cost to local residents, staff resources, and a once-thriving design and building culture.
We need a wholly different approach. Our planning and policy should respond to the values and challenges of today and tomorrow rather than those of 75 years ago. We must carefully examine our past missteps and leverage our heritage to cultivate inclusive and vibrant historic neighborhoods.
This future-oriented approach to preservation is not unprecedented. It is in large part what the inventors of the Santa Fe Style did so successfully—and entirely voluntarily—from 1912 until 1957. A return to such optimism and creative reverence just might be the most meaningful way to honor our past.
We look forward to continuing the conversation this month and beyond.
May 9
We are convening an ideation workshop to generate actionable ideas for the future of inclusive heritage preservation—reimagining planning, policy, and administrative processes for Santa Fe with a small group of local experts. We will report our findings later this month.
Closes May 11
The City of Santa Fe is requesting feedback to improve the development review process. Architects, builders, and property owners are strongly encouraged to take this survey. It is a vital opportunity to highlight specific pain points and advocate for much-needed improvements.
May 30 | NM History Museum
Join us at the Historic Santa Fe Foundation’s second annual symposium. This promises to be an engaging event focused on growth, governance, and the future!
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