Santa Fe council hears feasibility study, SHPO warns removal is an 'adverse effect' and mayor to seek temporary museum display

Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia told the City Council on Feb. 24 that he will introduce a resolution to temporarily place the broken fragments of the Soldiers Monument in the New Mexico History Museum so the public can inspect them in person while the city completes required consultations and public processes.

The announcement came after Tina Reems of CSR Architects presented a feasibility study that evaluated four options for the 19th‑century obelisk — rebuilding with historic stone, rebuilding with a mix of historic and new material, rebuilding at a new site, or a limited cleanup/repair option — and provided high‑level cost estimates. Reems told the council the report was based on visual inspection only and that additional structural observation and a stone conservator would be needed for design and rebuilding work. "All options are ultimately inconclusive based on structural findings and further structural observation and design needed for the rebuilding of the monument," she said.

Why this matters: The study gives the council technical and cost detail as it weighs competing public demands: many Indigenous and community members urged removal or permanent retirement of the obelisk, saying it is harmful and divisive; others…