NHCC’s new welcome center almost finished
The center will house the box office, a gift shop and a conference room
Construction on the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s new welcome center is nearly complete — marking the end of a seven-year journey.
A welcome center has always been part of the NHCC master plan and the project began in 2014.
At the NHCC board of directors meeting on Thursday, members were excited about the project coming to fruition.
According to Josefa González Mariscal, NHCC executive director, there is no set date for the grand opening of the welcome center.
The NHCC — along with other New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs museums — has been closed for the duration of the pandemic.
In May 2015, New Mexico Mutual
Casualty Co. purchased naming rights for the welcome center for 10 years. The deal called for New Mexico Mutual to pay $200,000 over the course of two years.
The first payment of $100,000 was made June 30, 2015. The second was made in 2016.
According to records, the first installment was used to pay off the NHCC Foundation debt to the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
In 2011, the state demanded the NHCC Foundation repay nearly $147,000 in spending related to the NHCC fresco project in what it said was “a textbook example of how public funds should never be spent.” The audit also reported missing purchase records, improper state funding and a lack of government oversight.
According to Alberto Cuessy, NHCC deputy director, the naming rights begin as soon as the structure is complete.
The welcome center is in front of the Torreón — or watchtower — on campus. The Torreón houses the fresco “Mundos de Mestizaje” by
Frederico Vigil.
When it opens, the welcome center will house the NHCC box office, as well as La Tiendita gift shop and a conference room. The box office will sell tickets to all NHCC events, including those at the art museum.
A design was approved by the Department of Cultural Affairs and the NHCC board of directors in 2017, but momentum slowed as bids were much higher than the allocated budget.
In 2019, the DCA took over the project, and found a design and construction process that would accommodate the $800,000 budget for the welcome center.
González Mariscal said that, while the NHCC has been closed to the public, security cameras have been installed around the campus.