SOCORRO, N.M. – Following a yearlong renovation, New Mexico Tech’s three-story main administration building, Brown Hall, is nearly complete. The historic building is slowly repopulating with staff, furniture, and equipment. After the move-ins from West Hall to Brown Hall are complete later this spring, the university is planning to restore West Hall as a men’s dormitory over the summer, providing more on-campus student housing. 

Plans are underway for an official re-opening celebration and open house once all staff have moved into their offices, according to President Stephen G. Wells.

“We’re pleased to reopen Brown Hall for our administrative staff,” he said. “It’s a beautiful, historic building that ties the university to its roots. I’m very grateful to New Mexico voters for approving the funding for this building’s renovation and for the support of the entire campus community during the past year.”  

Built in 1929, Brown Hall houses the Office of the President and offices for Academic Affairs, Advancement and Alumni Relations, Human Resources, Marketing and Communication, the Office for Administration and Finance, the Office for Research, and Purchasing. Brown Hall was designed by George Williamson in Mission Revival style, with Spanish Colonial Baroque elements and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The building occupies the former footprint of the “Old Main” Building, which was completed as one of NMT’s first structures in 1893. A portion of “Old Main” survives and can be seen as the west face of Brown Hall. New Mexico voters approved the Brown Hall building renovation as part of a General Obligation (GO) Bond. McCLAIN + YU Architecture and Design of Albuquerque designed the building renovation and Franken Construction was the general contractor. 

The renovation included upgrading the cooling systems, the addition of a fire sprinkler system, upgrade of the electrical, mechanical, and IT systems that will use direct digital controls for the HVAC system; remodeling of all three floors to provide much-needed office space and storage; and landscaping upgrades that will better integrate the rear entrances of the building into the campus common.