Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Ojo Caliente, New Mexico

Project dates: 2000-2017

Architect: John Barton, AIA

John Barton Photography

Primary Materials: Adobe, tin roofing, wood

Primary Preservation Focus: roofing, eves, vigas, adobe plaster


Working with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and the wonderful priest and parishioners of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ojo Caliente, NM, we helped organize and implement this inspiring Preservation, Renovation and Restoration project. The older adobe sanctuary dates from the late 1700s. The newer Church is a significant 1930’s WPA era adobe structure.

Our team called for volunteers to help with the installation of two Northern New Mexico style pitched “Tin” roofs with large overhanging eves, followed by restoration of the rotted vigas, and the removal of the adobe building’s failing cement stucco, replacing the stucco with traditional adobe mud plastering. Father Patrick Chavez supervised this project for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, along with Church Mayordomos Tessy and Bernadette Galvez; Loraine and Eli Lucero, and Cindy and Lee Baca. Antonio Martinez of Cornerstones assisted with this community project.