Santa Fe couple donates $4M for new art museum facility

Officials shared designs for the new contemporary annex of the New Mexico Museum of Art on Thursday. (Photo by Stephen Hanafin/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

SANTA FE, N.M. — Officials say they are one step closer to a $10 million project that would convert a 1917 warehouse facility into a contemporary annex of a Santa Fe art museum after receiving a huge donation.

Officials shared designs for the new contemporary annex of the New Mexico Museum of Art on Thursday.

They say the new museum facility will be named Vladem Contemporary after Santa Fe residents Ellen and Robert Vladem who donated $4 million for the project.

Officials say they will transform the long-closed Halpin Building located in between two rail lines into an attraction for Rail Runner Express train passengers visiting Santa Fe.

Museum of New Mexico Foundation President and CEO Jamie Clements say they still need to raise $2.3 million for the project.

Officials hope to break ground in early 2019.