The Branigan Cultural Center is pleased to announce Place and Re-Place: Las Cruces Urban Renewal, 1960–1975, a new exhibition that provides a multi-faceted examination of the urban renewal efforts in Las Cruces that dramatically changed the nature of its downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
The exhibition was curated by Jennifer Olguin and Dylan McDonald of the New Mexico State University Library, Archives and Special Collections. The exhibition will run from Oct. 15, 2021 to Jan. 15, 2022.
Place and Re-Place focuses on the urban renewal efforts in Las Cruces during the 1960s and 1970s that saw city and business leaders dramatically change the nature of the city’s downtown. Like many U.S. cities during the time, Las Cruces attempted to turn around the fading economic prominence and deteriorating built environment of its urban core.
However, this redevelopment came at the cost of the city’s culture and history. This exhibition makes use of collections from the NMSU Library, Archives, and Special Collections. The materials include Las Cruces Urban Renewal Agency records, oral histories, moving images, and photographs to tell the story of civic identity, historic preservation, class tensions, and public engagement during this important period.
The museum, at 501 N. Main St., is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The museum is accessible from RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1, Stop 1. For additional information, visit the website at MUSEUMS | Las Cruces, NM (las-cruces.org) or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @LCMuseums, or call 575/541-2154.
As a reminder, all people entering the Branigan Cultural Center or any indoor facility are required to wear a mask in compliance with the latest state public health orders. Mask UP Las Cruces! Help stop the spread of COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19 and how you can help stop the spread visit: Local Covid-19 Updates, Information, and Resources | Las Cruces, NM (las-cruces.org).