Las Cruces Downtown

  • About LCCP
    • Development Strategy
    • LCCP Development Team
  • About Las Cruces
    • About Downtown Las Cruces
      • Shopping
      • Dining
      • Arts and Entertainment
    • About the Region
    • Las Cruces Downtown Redevelopment Commitment
    • Downtown Events
    • Las Cruces Rankings and Honors
  • The Plan
    • Downtown Master Plan
    • Final Plaza Design Concept
    • Aerial Photos
    • Location Map
    • Downtown Distance Map
    • Downtown Las Cruces Residential Opportunities
  • Projects
    • Old City Hall
    • Bank of the West
    • 201 South Main Street
    • Old County Court House and Annex
    • Amador Hotel
    • Historic Post Office
    • Vacant Land
    • Downtown Civic Plaza
  • FAQ’s
    • FAQ’s
    • Studies and Documents
    • Final Plaza Design Concept
  • Photo Gallery
    • Historic Rio Grande Theatre
    • Las Cruces Farmers Market
    • Downtown Las Cruces Salsa Fest
    • LCCP Downtown Properties
    • Video Interviews
  • News
  • Contact Us

About Downtown Las Cruces

The Downtown Las Cruces has a long and rich history of culture and business. Though there have been challenges along the way, Downtown Las Cruces stands out as an example of successful revitalization beginning at the community level.

Downtown Las Cruces Historical Timeline

  • 1890
  • 1907
  • 1920
  • 1940
  • 1960
  • 1970
  • 2002
  • 2013
  • Late 1800s

    downtown-las-cruces-1800-sampleOldest know buildings in downtown Las Cruces can be traced back to the late 1800's. Unfortunately, many historic buildings were destroyed in the urban renewal of the 1960s and 1970s.

  • 1900s

    historic farmers market las cruces nmThe Las Cruces Farmers and Crafters market, one of the cities premier attractions today, traces its downtown roots back to the early 1900s.

  • 1920s

    Historic downtown las cruces 1920sLas Cruces’ population neared 4,000 in 1920 and increased to almost 9,000 by 1940; downtown is a thriving center of commerce and entertainment.

  • 1940s

    Las Cruces Downtown Court House 1940sMain Street served as town center with a thriving commercial and arts district. Here, workers pose during the construction of the Court House in 1941.

  • 1960s

    downtown-las-cruces-historic-1960sCity population grows to move that 29,000 people and City leaders adopted an Urban Renewal program for the downtown, proposing a pedestrian mall and suggest closing main street to vehicular traffic.

  • 1970s

    downtown-las-cruces-1970sMain Street is closed off for the pedestrian. The loss of vehicle traffic caused by this closure caused the number of businesses along Main Street plummeted from 160 to about 90.

  • 2002

    downtown-las-cruces-2003The New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance determined that the Las Cruces Downtown Mall was one of the state’s most endangered place, and Las Cruces residents begin working to work together to restore downtown to its former glory.

  • 2013

    charrette-2013-downtown-las-crucesLas Cruces Community Partners facilitates a Downtown Las Cruces Charrette to evaluate current master plans and studies while articulating today’s collective community vision for Downtown.

+ -

Detailed History of Downtown Las Cruces

downtown las cruces nm history
Historic shot from Griggs Avenue looking North. Note St. Genievive’s Catholic Church in background (torn down by El Paso Diocese in anticipation of big land sale driven by Urban Renewal. It sat as a dirt parking lot for 12 years).

Several buildings along the Main Street Mall in downtown Las Cruces date back to the late 1800s. Well into the first half of the twentieth century, Main Street served as town center with a thriving commercial and arts district. Pedestrians and vehicles cruised down Main Street to visit the theater, local eateries, and local businesses including Woolworth’s.

Las Cruces’ population increased from 4,000 in the 1920s to more than 29,000 in the 1960s. City leaders adopted an Urban Renewal program for the downtown area, and in the early 1970s city officials closed off several blocks of Main Street to construct a pedestrian mall.

The urban renewal movement of the 1970’s scraped many historic Downtown buildings, installed a pedestrian mall, and restructured Church and Water Streets as one-way arterials. Many property owners, including with historic structures, were forced to tear down their buildings through the Urban renewal “Property Acquisition” program. The loss of vehicle traffic caused by this closure caused the number of businesses along Main Street plummeted from 160 to about 90. Anchor business, essential for an area’s commercial survival, began opening their doors along interstates 25 and 10, near Lohman and Telshore Avenues and New Mexico State University, where both pedestrian and vehicle traffic were plentiful.

This photo from historian Jon Hunner shows Urban Renewal results on the day the Pedestrian Mall was completed. All vacant lots show that 70 percent of all downtown buildings were destroyed. Historic Post Office is in center of picture.
This photo from historian Jon Hunner shows Urban Renewal results on the day the Pedestrian Mall was completed. All vacant lots show that 70 percent of all downtown buildings were destroyed. Historic Post Office is in center of picture.

The challenges of the once thriving Downtown Las Cruces’ were clearly evident by the 1990s. This downward trend continued until Las Cruces residents began working to work together in 2002 to restore downtown to its former glory.

In 2002, the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance determined that the Las Cruces Downtown Mall was one of the state’s most endangered places. The alliance wrote, “without immediate action, the six-block area will continue to dwindle, existing businesses and cultural opportunities will lose what little traffic they now attract and Downtown will continue to suffer a slow death.”

In order to reverse this pattern, Las Cruces officials worked with the National Main Street Program and private planning and design firms to revitalize Downtown. After several planning studies and much debate, officials decided to remove the pedestrian mall and bring back an actual Main Street. In a three phase process, the city finally returned Main Street to a pedestrians and vehicles oriented thoroughfare, with wide sidewalks and landscaping finally. The former pedestrian mall was officially opened to traffic in 2013.

In October 2013 Las Cruces Community Partners facilitated a Downtown Las Cruces Charrette to evaluate current master plans and studies while articulating today’s collective community vision for Downtown. During this week-long event, collaborative planning workshops, round-table focus groups, and public presentations carefully examined Downtown opportunities and developed a plan of action.

The people of Las Cruces have come together to restore much of what was lost in the 1970s. By reopening Main Street to cars while maintaining a walkable environment for business and community gatherings, businesses are once again thriving in Downtown Las Cruces. The Downtown charrette celebrated these recent accomplishments, including numerous studies and master plans, public funding of infrastructure improvements for $6.4 million on Main Street reconstruction, and consolidation of governmental and cultural public buildings into the Downtown.

downtown-las-cruces-todayPrivate reinvestment in new restaurants and retail, an Intermodal Transit Center, and public and private art collaborations have all paved the way to get ready for a resurgence in Downtown activity. Las Cruces Downtown Charrette was a time for meaningful commentary, exchange of ideas, and foresight on how to move forward with Downtown revitalization. Most frequent comments pertained to the importance of a plaza and making Church and Water streets two-way roadways. Predictable zoning, emphasis on building development areas were also cited as important factors to the revitalization of Downtown. The public agrees that the future Downtown and plaza should address many needs of the community, support residential living, as well as retail, service, and food and beverage providers. To help reach these goals, three master plan update priorities:

  • Return Church and Water Streets to two-way traffic neighborhoods to Downtown
  • Update the City’s Zoning Code as it pertains to Downtown
  • Develop a plaza as the heart of downtown, to provide both an informal gathering place as well as a venue for entertainment and events

Articles and resources about Downtown Las Cruces:

  • Las Cruces’ Worst Mistake – A history of downtown Las Cruces

 

 

Featured image: Las Cruces Country Music Festival courtesy of William Faulkner Studios

201 N. Church St., Ste. 330
Las Cruces, NM 88001
Mobile 575-680-8812
Office 575-523-2500

Pages

  • Home
  • Dining
  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Shopping
  • About Downtown Las Cruces
  • About Las Cruces Community Partners

Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 Las Cruces Downtown Site designed and managed by Pixelmark