State of New Mexico Villagra Building Renovation
The Villagra Building is a historic building designed by John Gaw Meem in the northern New Mexico Territorial style. It was an important building in the early development of the State Capitol complex in Santa Fe. Listed on the State Register of Historic Places, it is also one of the first WPA buildings in the area.
FBT was brought on to renovate the historic building and design an addition to provide flexible office space for state agencies and correct numerous problems inherent in the existing structure. The four-floor Villagra Building addition connects to the 1934 building at the lower three levels and provides essential services for the original building: an elevator, new restrooms, a lounge and meeting rooms. A new lower level plaza adds a valuable amenity to the complex and provides the basement with ground floor visibility and access to the new courtyard.
The Design
The streetscape in this part of Santa Fe is low scale and pedestrian-oriented, a quality that was maintained with the new design. Villagra has little setback from the street and has a distinctly residential scale. The northern New Mexico Territorial style and the scale of Villagra, important in the early development of the Capitol complex, were retained in the new design.
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