Art & Architecture Tour
Murals, Museums, and More...
This one day itinerary features hidden gems, local art, local shopping, and the art & architecture that defines La Junta.
Featured on the Food Network’s Feasting on Asphalt, the Copper Kitchen is famed among locals and visitors alike. The restaurant is located in the Central Block Building – a two-story sandstone and red brick structure completed in 1890. When it was complete the Central Block Building was part of the first modern business block erected in the city of La Junta.
Second Stop: Rent a Bike at the Otero County Courthouse
After a filling breakfast at the Copper Kitchen, your art and architecture tour begins. For the next part of the tour, you can drive or walk. However, biking may be the best option for this tour. One block south of the Copper Kitchen, near the Otero County Courthouse, you can rent a bike by the minute, by the hour, or for the entire day.
Third Stop: Tour Downtown Art, Galleries, and Local Crafts
SHOP: Junction 50 Galleria
ART: What the Fudge Mural
ART: Daylight Donuts Mural
SHOP: Broke & Busted Boutique
ART: Let's Be Kind Mural
ART: LiveWell Park Wishing Tree
SHOP: Junction Plaza
ARCHITECTURE: Masonic Lodge Architecture
ARCHITECTURE: Post Office Building
SHOP: Crossroads Marketplace
ARCHITECTURE: Fox Theater
ART: Buffalo Herd Mural
Just a few minutes from downtown La Junta, between 5th and 6th Street and San Juan avenue, you can find seven well-preserved Queen Anne style residences within the San Juan Avenue Historic District. These homes were constructed between 1896 and 1905, as the town recovered from an economic depression.
Fifth Stop: Dr. Finney House and Historic Homes on Belleview and Carson Avenues
From the San Juan Avenue Historic District, head one block up to 608 Belleview. On this street, you will discover Dr. Frank Finney’s 1899 house. The home exhibits the most lavishly detailed exterior in this Plains community. The house with its rich interior trim is La Junta’s best example of Colonial Revival architecture. Architect Walter Dubree designed the residence.
Traveling south on Belleview Avenue towards 10th Street, you can view some of La Junta’s oldest historic homes, a carriage stepping stone, and a tree-lined avenue.
One block west of Belleview at 619 Carson, stop by to see the Eugen Rouke House. Eugene Rourke, prominent settler, rancher and businessman in the La Junta area, had this house constructed for his family in 1898. The residence exhibits the architectural transition between late Victorian eclecticism and the Colonial Revival style. Interesting features include the original two-story Colonial Revival portico, and the Queen Anne style tower and iron roof cresting.
Sixth Stop: La Junta City Park
Though land for the La Junta City Park was donated in 1905, the park as it exists today is primarily the work of the CWA and WPA, which carried out a series of improvement projects in the park from 1933 to 1941. The focus of the CWA project was improving drainage in the park. The WPA carried out a more extensive rebuilding and landscaping of the park which included laying drives, planting trees, building the lake, and constructing rustic stone walls and buildings.
Seventh Stop: Otero College Campus
In 1939, the residents of the La Junta School District Number 11 voted that bonds be used to partially finance a junior college building to be administered by the Board of Education. On September 15, 1941, “La Junta Junior College” opened its doors to the first class.
MacDonald Hall, the first building constructed for the college, remains a featured building on the 40-acre college campus.
The campus is a popular place for photography, dog walking, and community gatherings. Enjoy the campus as the locals do and take time to enjoy the beautiful landscaping, outdoor art, and architecture of the buildings spread throughout the campus.
It’s been said that La Junta hand-down has some of the best Mexican Food in the country.
Head to 1617 Raton Avenue, just a few blocks from the Otero College Campus, to satisfy your cravings for one of La Junta’s favorite locally owned Mexican Food restaurants.
Among the residential neighborhood, Mexico City Cafe is a hidden gem that is worth your travels.
You cannot visit La Junta without a stop to the Koshare Museum.
The museum is home to the world’s largest self-supported log ceiling. However, there is more to museum than just its architecture. Visitors are often blown away by the Native American and Western collection within the museum.
The collection features original art from the founding artists of the Taos and Santa Fe Art Colonies. Native American artifacts from the people of the Southwest, the Plains, and Anasazi. The museum contains large collections from Enesto Zepeda, Joseph Imhof, and Velino Herrera.