Kuhn Hotel demolished after decades of disrepair

BELEN—The terreon that was once encased in the 3-foot thick walls of the 117-year-old Kuhn Hotel in Belen is now piled up outside, wet and crumbling from the recent snow.

After more than a year of trying to work with and waiting for the owners of the property to start renovating the dilapidated building, Belen officials decided the waiting was over. After an asbestos abatement of the hotel, the city had the building demolished, along with three other structures on the property — one a former carriage house that belonged to the Becker family, and another a former bakery..

Belen Mayor Robert Noblin said the city was very patient with the property owners, saying they were given plenty of time to live up to their promise.

Joan Artiaga, who bought the property in 2003, used her life savings to rehab the building but depleted finances and failing health prevented her from continuing.

That’s when she found Dave and Julia Parton, owners of Stepping Stones Investment Properties. Artiaga said the Partons have signed a real estate contract, and have put down a “sizeable” down payment on the property and paid the property taxes. Attempts to reach the Partons were unsuccessful.

The city council approved a resolution in June 2023 to demolish the hotel because of safety concerns, but gave the owner and the Partons additional time to come up with a plan to secure and eventually renovate the property into a apartment complex.

“In September 2023, Stepping Stones sent (the city) an email of their intent to demo the property and continue to provide residential housing on the property,” Noblin said.

Noblin said in the proceeding months, they continued to wait for word from the Partons, but nothing was communicated to the city. In July, city officials decided to move forward with the demolition.

“They had made an attempt to board it up, but they never put a fence around the property,” the mayor said. “The property continued to be a haven for activities, whether it be drug use, vagrancy or just vandalism constantly. There had been reported cases of abuse over the years, and it just wasn’t a safe place.”

Noblin said the asbestos remediation began on Oct. 15, and the demolition began on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The city filed a lien against the property on Oct. 28 for $200,680, the cost to demolish the buildings and for the remediation work.

Noblin said the demolition was approved and ordered by the court, and the Partons would have to pay the lien before taking control of the property. If not, the mayor said, the property would revert to the city of Belen.

“I haven’t heard from the Partons, and I don’t think they’ve been in contact with the city,” the mayor said.

While Artiaga hasn’t yet been to the site to see the property, she’s heartbroken to know the hotel no longer stands.

“I haven’t seen it,” Artiaga said. “I’ve had some people call and tell me. I went into a panic attack, and I was sick for two or three days before I had to tell myself I didn’t want to do this to myself anymore.”

For more than 20 years, Artiaga tried to renovate the building, hoping to one day turn it into an artist co-op. But the continued vandalism and deterioration of the building proved to be too much to contend with.

“I’m just really sad for Belen, where a car wash and Starbucks are more important,” Artiaga said.

While the real estate contract is signed, Artiaga said she’s unsure if the sale will go through now that there are no structures on the property and the cost of demolition.

She also is critical of the city, saying there was no reason for the other buildings to be demolished.

“I guess the idea is if they knock down those buildings, there isn’t going to be anymore crime in Belen,” she said. “It’s going to solve the problem.”

Realizing the history of the building came down with the two-story terreon (which was harvested in Isleta more than 100 years ago) this past week, Artiaga fondly remembers the days when her grandfather, Oliver J. Blais, owned the hotel and she lived there for a spell.

“He told me all the stories about the railroad, about the lady who built the hotel and how she ran a tight ship,” Artiaga said. “The railroaders would come down and visit. They were like a bunch of uncles. If I went on a date, they would scrutinize them.”

Artiaga said her teenage years at the hotel were a “real pivoting time in my life,” and was able to make a little money sweeping and mopping the floors, “sparkled” the bathrooms and did laundry.

“We would do sheets twice a week in the ringer washer and then we’d hang them on the line and then iron them,” she remembers.

Artiaga was able to take some material out of the hotel last year, such as cast-iron sinks, some doors and trim.

“What we have to remember is there are so many beautiful properties around Belen, and a lot that have sentimental value to people,” Noblin said. “They’ve been around for a long time — some for centuries. But, at the same time, there are those that are left to the elements and human nature that aren’t salvageable.

“The Kuhn Hotel had been through many efforts, (and I commend) Mrs. Artiaga over the years for trying to revitalize it and bring it back,” Noblin said. “I think it was a very daunting task for her; this process was difficult for her but this was a tax on our local resources — police and fire.”

The mayor said he was very worried that someone would be on the pedestrian bridge above the hotel and flick a lit cigarette on the roof.

“It would be a tinderbox for the area and it could have possibly affected the infrastructure of the bridge,” Noblin said.

While he is also sad to see the old building go, the mayor said he’s relieved that the area will be cleaned up and hopefully the crime will move on.