Women in March – Part IV of IV

In its heyday, the San Luis State Bank was the economic nerve center for the entire San Luis Valley. Farmers, ranchers, local businesspeople, and just everyday folks would cross paths in its lobby as they did their banking. When it closed as a bank and reopened as a dry goods store, its mission changed but, for locals, it still served a similar purpose. Locals shopping for clothes, shoes or essentials, would often run into friends and neighbors and catch up on the news. Then, in the in the 80’s, said San Luis native and still fulltime resident Ronda Lobato, it went dark and neglected and has remained that way ever since. But if she has anything to say about it, there will one day be new life in the old store.

Lobato, who also serves as the County Assessor secured a grant from History Colorado to begin work on restoring the structure. In October 2022, History Colorado awarded Lobato’s group nearly $50,000 as a first step toward stabilizing the building. If things move in the right direction and she can secure additional money, Lobato sees the building as a future asset in Colorado’s oldest community.

That’s the dream, of course. The reality is a bit more complex. “It’s going to take a lot of money,” said Lobato. The History Colorado funds are only the first step. “The majority (of the money) is to secure the façade and structural walls,” she said. Because the building has been unoccupied for so long and no one has moved to take on the challenge of refurbishing it, it has suffered serious deterioration. “The roof is caved in in the middle section and needs to be completely redone.” Regrettably, that’s just for starters.

The building, like a number of others in the old town that have been empty for years, has been neglected but not because of any indifference. San Luis, to most folks, is off the beaten path and not flush with the funds to fix up everything, including old buildings. That’s why Lobato, with the help of her daughters, have devoted so much time to prospecting for grants. Before History Colorado, she and her children secured a smaller grant from CHFA, Colorado Housing and Finance Administration. The money went toward the long defunct bank/dry goods store’s renovation and restoration.

Lobato is playing the long game with the old bank building. She is also working with a “third party resource” in applying for grants wherever they’re available. It’s going to be a grant-by-grant process to fully breathe new life into the old bank/dry goods store. But if dreams can come true, Lobato and San Luis will one day have not only something the town needs but a keystone for future generations.

“Our idea is to have a speakeasy that has an interactive history of the town,” said Lobato. For those of a certain age and unfamiliar with ‘speakeasy,’ in its original incarnation—prohibition days—was ‘an illicit liquor store or nightclub.’ Her idea is far from illegal. Instead, she envisions a spot where locals can gather, have drinks if they choose or hold meetings, banquets, social gatherings, etc.

While others may see a dilapidated building, Lobato sees a village centerpiece. In addition, she thinks the building can be divided to include a bakery and, perhaps, even an apartment. The past can live again in the old bank, she believes. “It’s worth saving.”

The old bank which went belly up during the Depression, once fully restored, will also provide San Luis boys and girls a place to go when they’re not in school. “When I was in school,” she said, “there was so much to do through the school and the church. Those things don’t happen anymore.” The reason is because school attendance has declined. The last graduating class in the nearest school was, she esti- mated, fewer than a dozen.

While Lobato is playing the long game and pulling every string she can find to land more grant money—the History Colorado gift, she said, was just the start—nature is operating on its own timetable and temperament. “Just one winter has degraded the structure so badly from one year to the next,” Lobato said, that winning more grants for the restoration is essential. “The floor,” she said, “buckled over this winter.” Lobato knows that if the next winter is anything resembling one of the hard winters that have descended on the Valley over the years, the challenge of pumping life into the building will become even more challenging.