Board approves Marion Hall/Drury Hotel reuse, allows stair addition and some opening changes

The Santa Fe Historic Districts Review Board voted May 13 to approve a multi‑phased adaptive reuse of Marion Hall that will reconnect the early‑20th‑century sanitarium to the adjacent Drury Hotel and convert Marion Hall back to hotel use.

The decision follows an informational presentation in April and a staff report recommending approval of the project overall while recommending denial of one requested exception to close two window openings on Marion Hall’s east (primary) elevation. At the May hearing the applicant revised details to more closely match original drawings for the brick corridor and won board approval for the corridor reconstruction, a 92‑square‑foot stair addition on primary facade, and selective changes to openings; the board found the exception criteria met and voted to approve the application as submitted.

Why it matters: Marion Hall (originally the St. Vincent sanitarium) is a designated significant resource in the downtown and East Side historic district and is listed with all elevations as primary. The project is the third phase of a previously approved development plan and will return Marion Hall to active hotel use, restoring a historic connection and bringing new maintenance and mechanical work into the building.

What the board approved and why: The applicant will reconstruct a pedestrian corridor between Marion Hall’s east elevation and the west elevation of the Drury Hotel using brick with concrete coping, painted steel casement windows and concrete sills to match photographic and plan documentation of the original connection. The board accepted staff’s finding that reconstruction of the corridor is supported by pictorial and physical evidence and will “mimic” the earlier John Gaw Meem–era connection.

The board also approved a small, second‑ and third‑floor stair addition on Marion Hall’s east (primary) façade after finding the addition meets the ordinance exception criteria for additions on primary facades. The application included replacement of nonhistoric windows in kind and repairs to masonry and wood elements.

Opening changes and exception debate: Staff recommended denial of an exception to “no existing openings shall be closed” for two east‑elevation windows, noting those openings are part of a historic addition. After discussion the board concluded the two openings were not original to the earliest building phase and that infilling them would not harm — and may improve — the east façade’s visual rhythm. The board voted to allow the infill as part of the approved work. The board also approved a second requested exception to alter one window opening into a door where historical evidence supported the change.

Public input and next steps: Public comment at the hearing was generally supportive; several speakers with long family ties to the property described the building’s community history. The applicant and design team said exterior stucco and window materials will be repaired or replaced to match existing finishes and the brick color chosen (Tower Tan) will harmonize with the hotel without being an exact match. The applicant indicated replacement windows will be insulated but fabricated “in kind” to match the existing profiles. The applicant plans to apply for permits and proceed after staff and code review.

The board’s vote: The motion to approve the application and the three exception requests passed unanimously in roll call (yes: Member Beachy; Member Cherry; Member Degnan; Member Aguilar Medrano; Vice Chair Bienvenu). The board directed staff to ensure permit documents show the corridor details and window profiles described in testimony.

Background: Marion Hall dates to the pre‑1910 sanitarium and was designated significant by this board in 2008; the building has been altered and partly disconnected from the later hospital building over time. The current plan is the final (phase 3) element of a development plan previously approved by the Planning Commission and the board.