HUMAN SYSTEMS RESEARCH, INC.
By Mike Cook
More than 30 volunteers appeared at Human Systems Research, Inc. (HSR) headquarters in Las Cruces on Tuesday morning, August 17, around 7:00 am to pick up hammers, chisels, shovels, picks, rakes, jackhammers, wheelbarrows, and others To carry tools As part of a major renovation, they removed the exterior stucco of the 83 year old building.
Most of the work was done by volunteers from Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores in Las Cruces, El Paso, and Alamogordo. Lowe’s Corp. HSR also granted a financial grant to finance the removal and application of a new exterior coating.
“The productivity of Las Cruces Lowes store captain Kevin Quinn and his team of 30 Lowe volunteers was truly amazing to see,” said Deborah M. Dennis, Executive Director of HSR. “They were a whirlwind of activity removing all of the outdoor concrete in a single day. While the scheduled target time was 4pm, the team actually finished at 1am. Not only was the concrete stucco removed, the property was left pristine with all of the stucco removed in two 30 cubic yard roll-offs (dumpsters) by the city’s waste department (of Las Cruces) to be hauled away. This particular team of Lowe’s volunteers and what they achieved during Lowe’s Red Vest Impact Tuesday are now forever part of the many inspiring stories that have emerged from this historic building, ”said Dennis.
The HSR building, 535 S. Melendres St., “is the last of the historic Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) school buildings still standing in New Mexico,” said Dennis. Built in 1938, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The cement stucco removed was not original for the building, Dennis said. “Lime plaster and lime plaster were the original cover. At some point in the 1960s, stucco became a fashionable building material. “
The renovation comes right on time for the 50th anniversary of the HSR, which will be celebrated in February 2022. The HSR is New Mexico’s oldest nonprofit organization engaged in anthropological, archaeological and conservation research.
HSR was one of 100 Lowe Scholars in 37 states selected from approximately 2,200 applications from around the country, Dennis said. It was one of two selected New Mexico projects and the only one in southern New Mexico.
Visit humansystemsresearch.org and corporate.lowes.com.
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