Monte Vista Downtown Historic District
Rio Grande County
Monte Vista, Spanish for "mountain view," was incorporated in 1886. Shortly thereafter, commercial construction moved west along Main Street.
Monte Vista Downtown Historic District (2005 photograph.)
The availability of locally quarried stone resulted in the presence of numerous expert contractors and stonemasons able to work the distinctive volcanic rock. The buildings within the district were constructed between 1889 and 1921 and remain as good examples of late 19th and early 20th century commercial architecture.