By Vanessa Dabovich
Las Cruces, NM – Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, located on the corner of North Tornillo Street and Lucero Avenue in the Mesquite Historic District is among the top 100 preservation projects in the country chosen by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The chapel was built in 1911 and was even used as a schoolhouse during segregation in the 1920s and 1930s. In 2003, the chapel was nominated to the State Register of Cultural Projects and the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has created a competition for its "This Place Matters Community Challenge." In the challenge communities will be competing for grants ranging from five thousand to twenty-five thousand dollars to complete restoration projects.
NMSU Archaeology Professor Beth O'Leary says the church is being restored with private donations, volunteers and student labor, but preservation efforts have reached the halfway mark and the award is desperately needed to finish the project.
Winning the challenge and obtaining the grant money depends on getting online votes from the community.
You can vote online and find more information on Philips Chapel at preservationnation.org.