Don Gaspar resident says Historic Board battle highlights need for changes to city code

Francesca Banci’s house in Santa Fe’s Don Gaspar neighborhood could be an advertisement for what makes the city’s architectural style so beloved.

On the outside, adobe plaster melds with turquoise-rimmed windows that look out into an airy courtyard. Indoors, exposed vigas line the high ceiling. Artwork decorates the walls throughout the house, including a kitchen backsplash with drawings from local artist and writer Marie Romero Cash, the granddaughter of the property’s original owners on West Houghton Street. There’s tinwork from another relative.

Banci purchased the property in 2021 and spent the last several years on an ambitious renovation of the historic home, which is considered a “contributing” property under the city’s historic code, meaning it is considered significant to the hi