Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse
Planning for the courthouse began in 1993 and after some initial wrangling the city chose a two-block site north of Lomas between Third and Fourth streets. This plan was immediately embroiled in controversy because one of the blocks was the site of McClellan Park, which dated from 1919 and had housed New Mexico's Madonna of the Trail monument since 1928. Though McClellan Park had deteriorated badly by the 1990s, opponents of the courthouse maintained that the park was a historic landmark worthy of preservation. On the other hand, supporters of the courthouse, led by Mayor Martin Chavez, considered the park an eyesore that could be put to a better use as a site for new development. Eventually the city won out, and McClellan Park was bulldozed in 1996 as construction began on the courthouse. The Madonna of the Trail monument was moved to the northwest corner of the courthouse site, where it remains.
References
- ^ Sandlin, Scott (September 8, 1998). "The people's court". Albuquerque Journal. NM. p. C1. Retrieved May 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Toby (August 15, 2004). "Domenici Carved a Legacy Downtown". Albuquerque Journal. p. B1.
- ^ Sanders, Jeffrey C. (2004). McClellan Park: The Life and Death of an Urban Green Space. Albuquerque: The Albuquerque Museum.