Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita ready to show off its renovations

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Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita ready to show off its renovations

Alfredo Araiza
Mar 16, 2019
Mar 16, 2019 Updated May 2, 2019

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Historian and archivist Alison Bunting, with the Empire Ranch Foundation, in one of the four original bedrooms of the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita.

photos by A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

Located in the zaguan, or breezeway, is the meat cooler at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019. It was a screened wooden structure meant to store butchered meat except in the summer. Wrapped in blankets and tarps, the meat stayed cold.

A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

An old safe, once owned by Walter Vail who was one of the original owners, is still in the office, contents unknown, at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019.

A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

Standing in one of the original bedrooms Alison Bunting, a historian and archivist, points out the improvements made at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019. Over the years it was converted into a bedroom for some of the cowboys on the ranch.

A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

The master bathroom in the Victorian Addition still has some of the original fixtures at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019.

A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

An old coffee can and box of smokes are on display at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019.

A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

A Pronghorn Antelope grazes near the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita, Ariz. The Bureau of Land Management now oversees Las Cienegas National Conservation Area where the ranch is located. When the ranch was first established in the 1870s, it took a whole day to ride by horseback from the ranch headquarters to 蜜柚直播.

A.E. Araiza / 蜜柚直播

Alfredo Araiza

Every now and then, history needs a face-lift.

Stabilize a little foundation here, replace some decomposed bricks there, throw in a little metal framework and before long, it has the potential to remain stable for a couple generations longer.

Such is the case with the main headquarters of the Empire Ranch, north of Sonoita. It started out small, just four rooms, but over time it ballooned to 22 rooms from 1871 to 1886.

Privately owned until 1988, the ranch is now under the administration of the U.S. Department of Interior鈥檚 Bureau of Land Management. It has since been designated as a Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.

The BLM, which has been committed to the preservation of the ranch鈥檚 structures for future generations, has been working with the Empire Ranch Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization that started in 1997 to develop support to preserve the structures for recreational and educational purposes for the general public.

Both the BLM and the foundation have been working on the current repair work to preserve the Empire鈥檚 aging ranch house and surrounding buildings as funding allows, said Alison Bunting, the foundation鈥檚 historian and archivist.

It was pretty bad, she said, adding, 鈥渢he roof was not attached to the walls.鈥�

The BLM designated more than $1 million through deferred maintenance for the restoration of the structure.

The degree of restoration was debated, Bunting said. It was decided to primarily stabilize the structure, leaving walls a patchwork of various colors.

About 80 percent of the exterior wall cement stucco was removed and replaced with lime plaster, which is more compatible with the structure鈥檚 adobe bricks, according to the BLM and the foundation.

Because adobe deteriorates after sustained contact with moisture if it does not dry properly, lime plaster is used to protect the bricks. The lime plaster breathes and allows moisture to escape.

During the renovation, damaged adobe bricks were also replaced.

The task fell on Eric Means, with Means Design & Building, to make the repairs, which began with the stabilization of the ranch house in the spring of 2017. That work was completed in late 2018.

Repairs were made to stabilize the walls to withstand an earthquake by reinforcing the soil below the masonry foundations, removing damaged blocks and replacing them with new material.

In some places, Means said, they had to replace old beam supports and rebuild surfaces of adobe walls with new mortar that matched the old repair work.

At the same time, they wanted to preserve the natural patina to match the surrounding parts of the building.

Additionally:

Metal framework and new adobe were added above the ceilings to secure the walls and roofs
The yard was re-contoured so water would drain away from the house.
In one of the newer sections, the Children鈥檚 Addition, which was built with lumber around 1886, had wood flooring that was considered unsafe so it had to be reinforced.
Concrete stem walls were added to support the floor.

鈥淏y preserving these buildings,鈥� Bunting said, 鈥渨e can ensure that future generations will learn about and appreciate 蜜柚直播鈥檚 rich ranching history.鈥�