28 January 2002 - Heritage Conservation Network will be organizing two adobe conservation workshops in Mesilla, New Mexico this spring. The workshops are designed to give participants hands-on experience working with the age-old material used for construction in many parts of the western US and in arid climates around the globe.

Using a late 1800s adobe house as their laboratory, workshop participants will be involved in the condition assessment and basal and wall stabilization phases of a conservation project. They will learn how to mix and mold adobe bricks and repair blocks in situ. Some time will also be spent working at Socorro Mission outside of El Paso, Texas, approximately one hour from Mesilla. The Mission was originally built in 1691, destroyed by two floods, and rebuilt at its present location in 1843. Work at the mission will involve viga repair and consolidation, and lime plaster work.

Mesilla has a long and colorful history and is a popular with visitors because of its concentration of historic adobe structures. As a supply center for troops garrisoned at Fort Filmore in the 1850s, Mesilla became a bustling commercial center and, until bypassed by the railroad in 1881in favor of Las Cruces, was the social center of the region. Much of its historic core remains and today the city has a strong historic preservation program in place.

Each workshop session is two weeks long. The sessions are scheduled for May 5 - 18 and May 19 - June 1. Participants may elect to attend only one week of a session. The cost of attending the full two-week session is US$ 1750, which includes lodging, most meals, and project materials. Travel to Mesilla is the responsibility of the participants. AIA continuing education credit is available, and residents of Doña Ana County may be eligible for discounts.

The adobe workshops are the first in the series of building conservation workshops HCN has planned for 2002. Other workshops feature horsehair plaster, wood frame, log, and stone conservation.

For additional information, see the HCN web site at www.heritageconservation.net or contact Judith Broeker, Program Director at +1 303 444 0128.