This is a list of current and former county courthouses in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Many of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or other listings of historic places, as noted.

New Mexico's original nine counties were established in 1852, shortly after the organization of New Mexico Territory. The earliest county courthouses were generally small one- or two-story adobe buildings, often re-purposed homes or commercial buildings. Some counties did not even have a formal courthouse, with the district court (which was only in session a few days a year) renting rooms when necessary to conduct its business. A handful of early courthouses are still standing, including notable examples in Cimarron, Lincoln, and Mesilla.

New Mexico's public buildings began to grow in scale and ambition in the 1880s, spurred by the arrival of the railroad. With skilled workers, modern building materials, and more advanced construction techniques now available, larger and grander county courthouses emulating those in the eastern states were seen as points of civic pride. During the 1880s and 1890s, large brick or stone courthouses, many with elaborate Victorian architecture, were built in 13 counties. The only one of these still standing in its original form is the Old Colfax County Courthouse in Springer, though a few others exist in ruins.

The next wave of courthouse construction occurred between 1934 and 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs made large amounts of federal funding available for public works projects. Thirteen counties took advantage of New Deal programs to replace their aging railroad-era courthouses, and the Eddy County Courthouse was remodeled. Courthouses from this period often featured Art Deco or Pueblo style architecture, and the majority of them remain in use.

Historically, the county courthouse housed all the administrative and judicial functions of the county government. As county governments have expanded with growing populations, many counties now have much more decentralized facilities. This list includes only buildings currently or formerly used by the New Mexico District Court.

KEY

Courthouses with multiple historic designations are colored according to their highest designation within the following hierarchy. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a contributing property of a National Historic Landmark District Listed individually on the NRHP Listed as a contributing property of an NRHP Historic District⁕ Listed individually on the State Register of Cultural Properties (SRCP)⁑ Listed as a contributing property of an SRCP Historic District

Current

CourthouseImageLocationBuiltNotesBernalilloAlbuquerque2001CatronReserve1969Chaves⁕Roswell1911NRHP-listed (refnum 87000892)CibolaGrants2016Colfax⁕ Raton 1936NRHP-listed (refnum 87000882)Curry⁕Clovis1936NRHP-listed (refnum 87000881)De Baca⁕ Fort Sumner1930NRHP-listed (refnum 87000896)Doña AnaLas Cruces2006Incorporates the 1927 Las Cruces Union High School buildingEddy⁕Carlsbad1891Remodeled 1937Grant⁕Silver City1930Contributing property in Silver City Historic DistrictGuadalupe Santa Rosa1948Harding⁕Mosquero1922NRHP-listed (refnum 87000895)Hidalgo⁕Lordsburg1926NRHP-listed (refnum 87000897)Lea⁕Lovington1936NRHP-listed (refnum 87000880)LincolnCarrizozo1965Los AlamosLos Alamos2010Luna Deming2008McKinley⁕Gallup1939NRHP-listed (refnum 87000879)MoraMora2019OteroAlamogordo1956Quay⁕Tucumcari1939Rio Arriba⁕Tierra Amarilla1918Roosevelt⁕Portales1938NRHP-listed (refnum 8001136)San JuanAztec1980San MiguelLas Vegas2006SandovalBernalillo2005Santa FeSanta Fe2013SierraTruth or Consequences1936Expanded in 1939Socorro⁕Socorro1940TaosTaos2011TorranceEstancia1967Union⁕Clayton1909NRHP-listed (refnum 87000891)Valencia Los Lunas2008

Former CourthouseImageLocationBuiltNotesBernalillo (1886–1926)Albuquerque 1886Later used by San Felipe School; demolished in 1959.Bernalillo (1926–2001)Albuquerque1926Remodeled in modernist style in 1964. Still houses county offices.Catron (1921–1969)Reserve1916Converted hotel; no longer standingChaves (1890–1910)Roswell1890Demolished in 1910Cibola (1987–2016)GrantsSchool building converted to courthouse in 1987Colfax (1872–1882)⁕Cimarron1870Contributing property in Cimarron Historic DistrictColfax (1882–1897)⁕Springer1882NRHP-listed (refnum 87000883)Colfax (1898–1937)Raton1898No longer standingCurry 1910–1936Clovis1910Demolished in 1954Doña Ana (1852–1855)Doña Anac. 1840One-story adobe building; contributing property in the Doña Ana Village Historic District.Doña Ana (1855–1882)⁕Mesillac. 1850Contributing property in Mesilla Plaza Historic DistrictDoña Ana (1882–1883)⁕Las Cruces1866Later used as the Amador HotelDoña Ana (1883–1938)Las Cruces1883Demolished c. 1940Doña Ana (1938–2006)⁕Las Cruces1938PWA project; three-story Pueblo-style building designed by Percy McGee. Currently vacant.Grant (1883–1930)Silver City1883No longer standingGuadalupe (1893–1903)⁕Puerto de Luna1893In ruinsGuadalupe (1909–1948)⁕Santa Rosa1909NRHP-listed (refnum 87000890)Lea (1917–1936)Lovington1917No longer standingLincoln (1869–1880)Lincolnc. 1869Contributing property in the Lincoln Historic DistrictLincoln (1880–1913)⁕Lincoln1874Converted store. Contributing property in the Lincoln Historic DistrictLincoln (1913–1965)Carrizozo1913No longer standingLos Alamos (1956–1967)Los Alamosc. 1943Converted government buildingLos Alamos (1967–2008)Los Alamos1967Demolished in 2008Luna (1910–2008)⁕Deming1910NRHP-listed (refnum 77000925). Still houses county administrative offices and probate court.McKinley (1907–1939)Gallup1907No longer standingMora (1861–1889)Mora1861Mora (1889–1939)Mora1889Burned in the 1950sMora (1939)Mora1939DemolishedOtero (1901–1956)Alamogordo1901No longer standingQuay (1908–1939)Tucumcari1908No longer standingRio Arriba (1855–1860)⁕Los Luceros1712NRHP-listed (refnum 83004157)Rio Arriba (1880–1918)Tierra Amarillac. 1880Converted one-story adobe house; remodeled and expanded to two stories in 1885.Roosevelt (1904–1937)Portales1904Two-story concrete block building; no longer standingSan Juan (1902–1951)Aztec1902No longer standingSan Juan (1951–1980)Aztec1951DemolishedSan Miguel (1852–1864)San Miguel del Vadoc. 1852Some foundations still presentSan Miguel (1864–1881)Las Vegas1864One-story adobe building; no longer standingSan Miguel (1881–1885)Las Vegas1881Contributing property in the Las Vegas Plaza Historic DistrictSan Miguel (1885–1942)Las Vegas1885Two-story sandstone building designed by E. J. Jenison; demolished.San Miguel (1942–2006)Las Vegas1942Still houses county administrative offices and probate court.Sandoval (1903–1905)⁕Corralesc. 1850Converted houseSandoval (1905–1926)BernalilloConverted two-story adobe house. Burned in 1926.Sandoval (1928–2005)Bernalillo1928Frontal addition built in 1975. Still houses county offices.Santa Fe (1886–1909)Santa Fe1886Burned in 1909. Parts of the walls and foundation were incorporated into the 1910 courthouse.Santa Fe (1910–1939)Santa Fe1910Two-story building designed by Isaac Hamilton Rapp. Remodeled in the Territorial style and converted to office use; now known as the Coronado Building.Santa Fe (1939–1975)⁕Santa Fe1939Two-story building designed by John Gaw Meem. Still houses county administrative offices and probate court.Santa Fe (1975–2013)Santa Fe1937Converted school buildingSierra (1892–1936)⁑Hillsboro1892In ruinsSocorro (1884–1939)Socorro1884Demolished in 1939Taos (1852–1934)Taos1839Two-story adobe building; burned in 1934Taos (1934–1970)⁕Taos1934Contributing property in Taos Downtown Historic DistrictTaos (1970–2011)Taos1970DemolishedTorrance (1910–1967)Estancia1910Demolished in 1967Union (1895–1908)Clayton1895Destroyed by tornado in 1908Valencia (1852–1872)Tomec. 1850One-story adobe building on north side of Tome plaza; no longer standingValencia (1872–1874)Belenc. 1870Converted churchValencia (1875)Tome1875Two-story adobe building; no longer standing. Adjacent jail was built of stone and is still intact.Valencia (1876–1912)Los Lunas1876Two-story adobe building. Burned in 1912.Valencia (1913–1960)Los Lunas1913Two-story brick building with attached jail. Demolished in 1962.Valencia (1960–2008)Los Lunas1960Two-story Modernist style building designed by Lawrence Garcia. Still houses county administrative offices and probate court.

References