The Deming Armory (formerly known as the State Armory, now also known as the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum) is a historic
armory in the United States, located at 301 South Silver Avenue in
Deming,
Luna County, New Mexico. The building was built for the
United States Department of the Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the Federal government of the United States ...
in 1915–16, and is currently being used as the premises for the
local museum in Deming.
The armory was added to the
New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1978 and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1983.
History
The building, designed by architect
Henry C. Trost, was originally constructed as a
National Guard armory. The building was the first armory to be built after New Mexico became a state in 1912.
It was constructed to train soldiers to guard the border with Mexico during the ongoing
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
.
The armory served the
New Mexico National Guard
The New Mexico National Guard is the militia of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Comprising the New Mexico Army National Guard and the New Mexico Air National Guard, it is part of the National Guard of the United States, a reserve force under both ...
for 60 years. The building housed a chapter of the
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, in support of the men training at
Deming Army Airfield. During the years that the building served as a military facility, it was also used as a community center for hosting dances, basketball games and other local events.
Two events in 1976 contributed towards the launch of a campaign to acquire the Deming Armory as new premises for the town's museum. First, the National Guard vacated the building and moved to a new facility on the south side of Deming. Second, a local businessman, Hubert Ruebush, offered to donate his mother's old electric
washing machine
A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
, the first such washer in Deming, to the museum. When Ruebush learned that the museum could not accommodate the washer in its cramped facilities, he donated $6000 to acquire the armory on the condition that his donation be matched through local
fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
. Ruebush's condition was quickly satisfied, and a delegation from Deming subsequently negotiated a selling price of $11,500 for the building with the State Armory Board in
Santa Fe.
Architecture
The Deming Armory is an imposing red-brick building, two stories in height and resting on a raised basement. It comprises three
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
s along the front elevation, with a depth of nine bays, and
pilaster
In classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s divide the side elevations. The facade is characterized by decorative
brickwork, concrete detailing, and a large central arch leading to double-leaf doors. The walls of the building are thick.
Deming Luna Mimbres Museum
The Deming Luna Mimbres Museum, also known as the Deming Luna County Museum, is operated by the Luna County Historical Society. The museum's exhibits focus on the everyday lives and history of area residents. Collections include
Mimbres pottery
Mogollon culture () is an archaeological culture of Native American peoples from Southern New Mexico and Arizona, Northern Sonora and Chihuahua, and Western Texas. The northern part of this region is Oasisamerica, while the southern span of the M ...
, dolls and toys, glass, china, crystal, teapots, silver, copper and Depression glass, and saddles and ranching equipment. Other exhibits include period rooms, furniture, paintings, tools, clothes, Native American artifacts, gems and geodes, weapons, war memorabilia, vehicles and farm equipment.
See also
*
References
External links
Deming Luna Mimbres Museum- Luna County Historical Society
{{Portal bar, National Register of Historic Places
Armories on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico
Government buildings completed in 1916
History museums in New Mexico
Museums in Luna County, New Mexico
National Register of Historic Places in Luna County, New Mexico
New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
Trost & Trost buildings