A structure named in honor of the more than eight hundred New Mexican soldiers who died during the Battle of Bataan in World War II is in line for a significant upgrade.
Located at 407 Galisteo Street, the Bataan Memorial Building was built in the Territorial Revival style 125 years ago and served for more than half a century as the New Mexico State Capitol. After a new state capitol was completed in late 1966, the Galisteo Street building officially became the Bataan Memorial Building.
Late last year, the building was added to the State Register of Cultural Properties, putting it in line for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
At the time that the structure was named to the State Register, Ronald Toya, chairman of the Cultural Properties Review Committee, lauded it for its “distinctive architecture,” and a memorial “honoring those who served our country.”
Now members of the New Mexico State Legislature have voted to approve a $5 million capital outlay designed to fund work for a general upgrading of the structure. That $5 million is part of a total of $79 million approved by lawmakers for various facility projects in Santa Fe County. The Battle of Bataan and subsequent Bataan Death March took place during the first half of 1942 and saw extensive Allied fighting near Manila Bay in the Philippines. The Allies lost more than 10,000 soldiers in the encounter, at least 800 of which were New Mexican natives.
April 11, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of State of New Mexico
