The park and plaza evoke railyards of the past, minus the industrial harshness
and softened by adjoining narrow streets and sidewalks.
ANDREWNEIGHBOUR
OF PRAIRIE DOGS AND PARK FUNDING
Among the many obstacles to creating the Santa Fe
Railyard Park and Plaza was the discovery of burrows
housing hundreds of prairie dogs on the future parkland.
City law mandated the animals’ safe relocation, and
in 2005, with support from the Messenger of Healing
Winds Foundation, TPL humanely relocated 375
Gunnison’s prairie dogs to the Sevilleta National
Wildlife Refuge in southern New Mexico.
In another community, this rodent relocation might
simply have been accomplished and forgotten. But
many Santa Feans find prairie dogs endearing, and
well-known wildlife sculptor Dan Ostermiller agreed to
memorialize the former residents in bronze. Thirty
miniature bronze prairie dogs sold for $2,500 each,
with all proceeds going to the park.
It was only one contribution toward $13.7 million project in a funding mix that would eventually include two
federal sources as well as money from the city, county, and
state. But more than half the funds would come from private donations, including more than $550,000 in small
gifts from hundreds of local businesses and residents.
Fundraising to cover final construction costs continues. For more information, call Milton Combs at (505)
988-5922 or email railyard.program@tpl.org.
A PARK THAT REFLECTS ITS COMMUNITY
In 2001, TPL launched an international design competition for the railyard’s public spaces, based on the conservation easement and the formal master plan for the
entire property. Fifty-six competition entries led to five
finalists; ultimately, the jury selected the entry submitted
by the New York-based Ken Smith Workshop. Led
by landscape architect Ken Smith, the team included
architect Fred Schwartz, renowned landscape artist Mary
Miss, and New Mexico landscape architect Edith Katz.
TPL program director Brian Drypolcher oversaw the
competition and what would become a seven-year
effort to execute the park’s construction. TPL’s New
Mexico state director Jenny Parks describes the project,
from a financial and design standpoint, as “the largest
park TPL has ever built, involving dozens of TPL
employees and a thousand volunteers.”
The public areas of the railyard property include
the park and a connecting appendage known as the
Alameda, which includes a one-acre plaza. The railroad
dictated the linear nature of the site, which the design
team put to good use. The sweep of the Alameda is
bordered by the outdoor sheds of the seasonal farmers
ANDREWNEIGHBOUR
Based on a Native American design, a waffle garden will sprout
crops in the spring.
