Money secured to save 1840s-era structure

Money secured to save 1840s-era structure
By Andrew Kreighbaum / Austin Bureau
Posted: 02/12/2009 12:00:00 AM MST

The Socorro Mission rectory, built in the 1840s, needs repairs. (Photos by Vanessa Monsisvais / El Paso Times)

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AUSTIN -- The rumble of passing trucks has left the adobe-built Socorro Mission rectory cracked, crumbling and on a list of Texas' most endangered historic places. But the deacon of the parish said Wednesday that local money has been secured to begin restoration of the 1840s structure.
Preservation Texas released a list Wednesday that included the Socorro Mission rectory as one of 11 historic sites threatened by destruction or neglect. Also on the list are the Strand District on Galveston Island, which was damaged by Hurricane Ike in October, and the Governor's Mansion in Austin,

The exterior adobe walls of the Socorro Mission rectory are crumbling. which was torched by an arsonist last summer.
The rectory is behind the Socorro Mission, which was restored as part of a community initiative in 2005.
The adobe structure has not fared well next to nearby trucking traffic, said Troy Ainsworth, El Paso historical preservation officer. Ground disturbances caused by the traffic require stabilization work be done on the building, he said.
"In the northern part of Chihuahua, New Mexico and West Texas, I don't think there's another example of an adobe rectory that still stands," Ainsworth said. "It's pretty much the last of its kind in this area."
Ainsworth said that the rectory would not be in dire circumstances for a couple more years but that a delay would make restoration more costly.

Deacon William Reyes, the administrator of Socorro parish, said repairs to the exterior of the rectory will begin by the end of March, thanks to money from the Catholic Diocese of El Paso and the local community.
Reyes said that restoring the exterior of the building will cost about $75,000, but that no estimate has been made for interior repairs.
The Socorro mission complex, which includes the rectory, was originally established in the 17th century to minister to the nearby Piro Indians, and it was rebuilt twice after Rio Grande floods. The current structure was built by the diocese in the 1840s.
"We don't want that history to stop at our times," Reyes said. "We want the history to continue in the future so they can see how our ancestors used to live."
Andrew Kreighbaum may be reached at akreighbaum@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606.