STOCKYARD AND RODEO DISTRICT
Project Type: Urban Design
Location: Roswell, New Mexico
Year: 2018
Size: 96 acres
The Stockyard and Rodeo District is an unrealized design that envisions transforming 93 acres surrounding Roswell’s stockyards into a vibrant cultural and economic destination. Blending adaptive reuse of the existing stockyard with new retail, residential, and office spaces, the district also introduces restaurants, breweries, event lawns, pavilions, and performing arts venues. Situated near Main Street and the New Mexico Military Institute campus, it would serve as a lively hub for residents and visitors alike.
An existing concrete drainage channel would be reimagined as a natural arroyo park with trails linking the campus and museum. Concrete from the channel would be repurposed across the site, while portions of the embankment remain, suggesting a once-linear channel now restored to nature. The district celebrates Roswell’s ranching and rodeo heritage, dating back to the mid-1800s with cattle trails and ranches such as John Chisum’s South Spring Ranch, when rodeos, roundups, and livestock auctions were central community events.
The new facilities would provide a year-round rodeo training center and a larger venue to attract regional and national events, strengthening the city’s cowboy traditions while expanding its reach. By connecting history and culture with modern life, the Stockyard and Rodeo District ensures Roswell’s western heritage remains a living, active part of the community.
Project Team: Blane Potts, PLA, ASLA – Landscape Architect | Reid Stone, AIA – Architect