Another busy year for Cornerstones By Paul Weideman
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ornerstones Community Partnerships, the Santa Fe organization that works with local communities in the Southwest to restore historic adobe buildings, had a good year in 2012. Cornerstones staff and volunteers repaired the south wall at the 300-year-old San Miguel Mission — they completed adobe repairs on the other three exterior walls the previous three years. One of the reasons behind Cornerstones’ recent successes is its focus on young people. “We’re fortunate because, although historic preservation is pushed somewhat into the background when the economy is depressed, youth training is not,” said executive director Robin Jones. “Working with youth, trying to give them leadership skills, teaching basic safety and teaching how to value themselves as part of a work force and as part of the community is so important. We work regularly with Bosque School and Youth Shelters, and we’re working with the Leadership Institute at Santa Fe Indian School.” The youngest children learn about adobe while having fun playing with mud. Tiny bricks made by tots from Girls Inc. have been sold as candle holders at the Oldest House gift shop, raising hundreds of dollars for the San Miguel project. The older kids working with Cornerstones see career possibilities as a contractor or architect. Many have learned a lot about the material through hands-on experience at San Miguel Mission. Jake Barrow, Cornerstones program director, said more than 500 volunteers have contributed nearly 6,000 hours of work there. The adobe church in Santa Fe’s old Barrio Analco section was originally built in the early 1600s, but it was partially destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The chapel we see today (or at least some of it) dates from 1710. The damage Cornerstones has been addressing was caused by inappropriate cement stucco added in the past, which trapped water in the walls, and by drainage problems. “All the adobes for the work we’ve done at San Miguel were made there onsite, some with earth from the old bricks,” Barrow said. “We did whole sides, taking the old stucco off all the way to the ground. Our new plaster on the facade [the first wall tackled] is three years old now. We learn as we go, and the plaster gets better and better.” How much effort goes into finding the right kind of earth for making adobe bricks and the right kind of mud mortar and plaster? “We always have to play with that, but there’s a big range of satisfactory materials,” Barrow answered. “We do tests and if it’s cracking, we add a little more sand. There’s no perfect formula, because it also depends on the type of sand. At San Miguel we’ve been using pure clay from Nambé. We’re very happy with our plaster there.” The last part of the exterior restoration is the bell tower. As it did on the walls, Cornerstones is planning to remove the stucco, evaluate the adobe, and probably install some stabilizing elements.
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January 2013
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Photo by Erika SErrano/thE nEw MExican
San Miguel Mission: the bell tower is the next preservation target