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The interior restoration of Corrales’ historic Old San Ysidro Church has been completed, with crews now moving equipment and furnishings back into the 156-year-old adobe building, Mayor James Fahey announced.
All previously scheduled events at the venue will continue as planned, Fahey said in his latest update, marking the successful conclusion of a restoration project that nearly doubled in cost due to unexpected structural issues.
The Corrales Historical Society received praise from the mayor for completing the work on schedule despite complications that expanded the project from $275,000 to nearly $500,000.
Village Deputy Fire Chief Tanya Lattin played a key role in the project’s completion, helping with repair decisions and managing grant funds received through capital outlay from state legislators, Fahey said.
The church, built in 1869 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as Corrales’ primary wedding venue and hosts Music in Corrales concerts, the annual Art Studio Tour preview gallery and numerous community celebrations.
Construction crews discovered extensive adobe wall instability and failing electrical systems when they removed interior plaster in June, prompting what Historical Society Vice President Ed Boles called “life-saving support” for the structure.
The original $275,000 restoration was funded by the New Mexico State Legislature through efforts by Rep. Kathleen Cates and former Sen. Brenda McKenna. The additional costs required community fundraising efforts.
The church, which the Village of Corrales owns while the Historical Society manages operations, had been closed since early summer for the restoration work.
Local organizations that supported the fundraising effort included the Corrales Historical Society, which donated its entire $35,000 ROCK fund, the Corrales Kiwanis Club with $2,000, and Music in Corrales, which pledged $10,000.
The timing of the completion proves crucial for Corrales’ fall event season, with weddings scheduled throughout autumn and the Music in Corrales concert series set to resume in the restored venue.
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