Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Portales (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Roosevelt County Courthouse, Oasis State Park, and Eastern New Mexico University. Also, be sure to include Bank of Portales in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Portales (New Mexico).
Table of Contents
Roosevelt County Courthouse
Courthouse. The Roosevelt County Courthouse built in 1938 is an historic Art Deco courthouse located at 100 West 2nd Street in Portales, New Mexico. It was designed by architect Robert E. Merrell of Clovis and built of poured Portland cement.
On December 3, 2008, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
Address: 201 S Main Ave, 88130 Portales
Oasis State Park
State park in Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Oasis State Park is a state park of New Mexico, United States, located north of Portales in Roosevelt County. It is a common destination for nearby residents and features a small fishing lake and several sand dunes.
Although the water quality in the centralized body of water in which the park surrounds is poor, the park itself has significant sand dunes and interesting scenery.[2]
Address: 1891 Oasis Rd, 88130-9024 Portales
Eastern New Mexico University
Public university in Portales, New Mexico. Eastern New Mexico University is a public university with a main campus in Portales, New Mexico, and two associate degree-granting branches, one at Ruidoso and one at Roswell. ENMU is New Mexico's largest regional comprehensive university and is the most recently founded state university in New Mexico. It is a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. The ENMU System consists of three campuses. The current Chancellor is Dr. Patrice Caldwell who assumed office in 2020.[3]
Address: 1500 S Avenue K, 88130 Portales
Bank of Portales
The Bank of Portales on Main Street in Portales, New Mexico, which has also been known as Citizens National Bank;Portales News Tribune Building, was built in 1902 or 1903 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
It is a two-story 30 by 60 feet (9.1 m × 18.3 m) commercial building.
A cafe, Do Drop In, is located at 123 S. Main. The NRHP nominating form for the Bank of Portales gives "123 Main", which is either incomplete or incorrect.[4]
Administration Building
The Administration Building, on the south side of University Pl. and the campus green of Eastern New Mexico University, in Portales in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, was built in 1931. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
It is registered with the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties (SRCP).
It is a three-story Collegiate Gothic building with a steep slate roof and pointed pedimented gable ends. It was designed by Lubbock, Texas architect Orville R. Walker. It was built in 1931 and extended in 1936. It was built to serve as an administration building and still did at time of NRHP nomination. It was the first building built on the new Eastern New Mexico University campus; in fact it was completed two years before classes began on the campus. The 1936 work was completed using Works Project Administration funds.
Subsequent buildings on the campus were also done in Collegiate Gothic style.[5]
Portales Main Post Office
The Portales Main Post Office, on W. 1st St. in Portales in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, was built in 1937. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 as US Post Office-Portales Main.
It is a one-story red brick building.
It includes an oil-on-canvas mural by Santa Fe artist Theodore Van Soelen titled "Buffalo Range", executed in 1939 under a New Deal program, the Federal Works Agency's Section of Fine Arts program. The mural is about 5 by 12 feet (1.5 m × 3.7 m).[6]