Check out the Palace windows reconstruction A historic preservation program

From 2-4 pm on Sunday, Nov. 20, the craftsmen working on replacements for eight of the Palace of the Governor's historic windows will offer a walk-up interpretive program explaining the project. Bring your questions about what it takes to care for an aging adobe structure.

The plastic sheets and plywood boards currently covering the windows may not show it, but they signal progress. Lead paint has been tested and abated, and window sashes have been taken to the contractor’s workshop for repairs. Albuquerque-based Longhorn Construction expects to complete the $54,000 project by Dec. 1.

Los Compadres, a volunteer support group for the museum, raised the money for the project. The effort has focused on windows facing the courtyard, where rain, snow and sun have had free rein since at least 1913, when the building was plastered in the adobe style that’s been periodically maintained ever since. It isn’t an easy project.

As Sam Romero, project manager for Longhorn, told the Albuquerque Journal, “We’re trying to keep the historical aspect of the materials already there. What we’re not doing is going down to Marvin’s Windows and ordering a new set.”

Rather than putting in new windows, the ones have been pulled away. Rotten pieces of wood and broken panes have been replaced. The old windows will be cleaned, sanded and glazed before returning to their spots.