Alamogordo NM
5-06-2026 11:45am

FAMILY’S GIFT TO A CITY THEY HELPED BUILD

FAMILY’S GIFT TO A CITY THEY HELPED BUILD - a 2nd Life Mexia Alamogordo TownNews Special T

2nd Life Media, AlamogordoTownNews.org and KALHRadio.org present the next article in our series of #AlamogordoProud showcasing history and the individuals of our community in positivity and reverence.

Clock Ribbon Cutting: June 16, 2026 • Noon • 822 New York Avenue, Downtown Alamogordo

Film Premiere: The Cosmic Trigger • May 16, 2026 • 6:00 PM • Flickinger Center for the Performing Arts

Contact: Alamogordo MainStreet for questions related to ribbon curting

ALAMOGORDO, NM — When the Sheffield family looks at downtown Alamogordo’s New York Avenue, they don’t just see a street. They see the arc of their own lives — a hardware counter where a young businessman learned his trade, a block of historic storefronts they spent years restoring brick by brick, and a corner that their father developed more than half a century ago. Now, as Alamogordo MainStreet continues its work revitalizing the heart of the city, the Sheffield family is giving something back: a historic timepiece to mark time on the avenue they helped define, and a documentary film that places their hometown at the center of one of history’s most extraordinary stories.

The clock will be unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 16, 2026, at noon at 822 New York Avenue — the same site where patriarch Leonard Sheffield broke ground for the Montgomery Ward building in 1971. The three surviving Sheffield siblings — John, Larry, and Janet — will be present to mark the occasion. And on May 16, Larry Sheffield’s latest documentary film, The Cosmic Trigger, will have its Alamogordo premiere at the Flickinger Center for the Performing Arts.

Part One: The Man Who Came to Stay — Leonard Sheffield and the Building of Downtown, 1953–1990


Leonard Sheffield’s story in Alamogordo began the way so many good stories do: by accident. In the summer of 1953, he arrived in southern New Mexico to visit friends in Ruidoso and take a summer job at a local lumber yard. It was there that he met Sarah Jane Emde, the woman who would become his wife, while helping her father with building supplies. Leonard and Jane married in December 1953. He returned to Albuquerque to finish his studies at the University of New Mexico, but his heart was already in the desert.

By 1957, Leonard was back — this time for good. Hired as manager of Stevenson’s Hardware and Furniture at 919 New York Avenue, he and Jane made the decision that would define their lives: Alamogordo would be their permanent home. It was a town of roughly 20,000 people in those years, growing steadily in the shadow of Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Proving Ground, and New York Avenue was its commercial backbone.

Leonard proved to be more than a good manager. He had an eye for opportunity and the patience to build something lasting. When one of Stevenson’s partners retired and put his stake up for sale, Leonard bought in. When others followed, he bought those shares too. By 1959, he was the majority owner of the business he had walked into as an employee just two years earlier

Expansion followed steadily. In April 1962, Sheffield relocated the hardware operation to 907 New York Avenue and enlarged the furniture store at 919. That October, he put his own name on both — Sheffield’s Furniture and Sheffield’s Hardware and Builders Supplies — and the Sheffield name became part of the fabric of downtown. In 1964, he purchased the historic Rolland Drug building at 921 New York Avenue, acquiring what had been Alamogordo’s oldest continuously operating business since 1899 from Rolland’s son.

The 1965 renovation of 921 New York Avenue transformed the store’s capacity entirely. Sheffield expanded into the full building and into the upper floors, including the more than 22 rooms above the adjacent F.M. Avis building at 923 New York Avenue. Those upper floors — used for furniture display and staging, and the setting for more than a few ghost stories — became a point of local legend. Sheffield’s Furniture was now carrying carpet, appliances, televisions, and stereos alongside its signature home furnishings lines: Ethan Allen, Henredon, Thomasville, Stiffel lamps, Lee’s carpets.

On August 16, 1971, Sheffield broke ground on what would become one of his most lasting contributions to downtown. The site at 822 New York Avenue — where a hotel had once stood before being destroyed by fire — became the future home of a Montgomery Ward department store. Sheffield purchased the property and developed it personally, bringing a national retail anchor to the heart of Alamogordo. The building eventually became the current Sherwin-Williams location, and it is at this same address that the Sheffield family’s commemorative clock will be installed in June 2026

Through the 1970s, Leonard continued to grow his downtown presence, adding Sheffield’s Bedding Center at 812 New York Avenue and Sheffield Economy Furniture at 721 New York Avenue. The businesses employed between 12 and 15 people. Sheffield was deeply active in the Alamogordo Downtown Merchants Association and the Chamber of Commerce, and was a consistent participant in early downtown renewal efforts.

In November 1975, Sheffield began a major renovation at 901 White Sands Boulevard, connecting several buildings to create a single, unified retail space. On October 10, 1976, Sheffield’s Furniture and Carpet held its grand opening at the new location with a ribbon-cutting ceremony — a moment that has a particular resonance now, as his children prepare to stand at their own ribbon cutting fifty years later.

Beyond commerce, Leonard Sheffield was a fixture in Alamogordo’s civic life. He served eight terms in the New Mexico Legislature representing Otero County, advocating for legislation that benefited Alamogordo and Cloudcroft.

He maintained deep and genuine ties with Holloman Air Force Base, sponsoring airman recognition programs, decorating and donating furniture for the VIP Bachelor Officers’ Quarters that hosted visiting generals, and supporting Thunderbird air shows at the base. Jane Sheffield hosted gatherings for officers’ wives and their families at the family’s apple orchard in High Rolls, in Karr Canyon. Those friendships often outlasted the commanding officers’ assignments. One memorable reward for Leonard’s dedication: a flight in an F-15 fighter jet at Holloman

Leonard and Jane retired in 1990 and moved to Atoka, Oklahoma. But Alamogordo was never truly behind them. They returned nearly every month to visit friends and check on business — a rhythm that said more about their connection to the city than any speech could.

Part Two: The Restoration Years — Larry and Tara Sheffield and the Soul of 1898, 1987–2020

When Leonard Sheffield handed the downtown buildings to his son Larry, he didn’t pass along just real estate. He passed along a responsibility — and Larry Sheffield took it seriously in a way that would reshape the character of New York Avenue for a generation

The work began in 1987 at 919–921 New York Avenue. Larry, who had purchased the property from his father, set himself an ambitious goal: a full restoration to the buildings’ original 1898 appearance. What he found beneath the layers of decades was extraordinary. The building concealed a Mesker front — a rare surviving example of the ornamental sheet-metal and cast-iron storefront components produced by the George L. Mesker Company of Evansville, Indiana. Mesker’s products were sold through catalogs and shipped by rail across the country in the late 19th century; their embossed panels, cast-iron details, tin ceilings, skylights, and fences were the aesthetic language of American commercial architecture in the railroad era. Contractor S.E. Pelphrey had selected this Mesker front for the building when it was completed in April 1898 — making it one of the earliest structures ever constructed in Alamogordo

That building carries history far beyond its storefront. It served as the site of the first Otero County Commission meeting and housed the first county courtroom, along with two jail cells, in the earliest days of the county’s existence. Rent at the time was $40 per month.

Restoring it was not a simple task. Larry stripped away the later-added storefront coverings that had accumulated over the previous decades. He sandblasted the buildings down to their bones, removing layers of old paint to reveal the original architectural details beneath. He tore out dropped ceilings and found original tin above. He pulled up adhesive-backed carpeting and sanded the original oak floors back to life. He exposed original brick wherever it had been hidden. Where he needed specialized expertise, he earned it: through the restoration process, Larry obtained his New Mexico Contractor’s License, developing a passion for historic preservation that would guide the rest of his professional life.

The completed building — which Larry and Tara named the Century Building, honoring its 100-year history and its readiness for the century ahead — did more than preserve one block. It sparked something. Local press took notice. A committee formed to support continued restoration. Area banks began offering small loans to property owners willing to undertake their own remodeling projects. The energy Larry and Tara brought to 919–921 New York Avenue became a catalyst for a broader wave of downtown revitalization.

The work spread. The F.M. Avis Building got a fresh exterior, its color selected by the State Architect and Main Street coordinator, giving the block a bright and cohesive appearance

At 917 New York Avenue, dropped ceilings came down, tin ceilings came back, original oak floors were uncovered, and brick was exposed and highlighted with new lighting. Then came the acquisition and restoration of 913 New York Avenue — formerly home to Andy’s Candies — which Larry and Tara transformed into Victoria’s, with a historically appropriate new storefront design, restored tin ceiling, new electrical wiring, and fresh exterior paint

By 1998, downtown Alamogordo had taken on a character that reflected its original architecture and its founding generation. The Sheffield restorations stood as a reminder that Alamogordo’s history was worth honoring — and that not every town is fortunate enough to have someone willing to do the hard work of preserving it.

Other Sheffield family members — John and TL Sheffield, and Janet and John Evans — cared for and improved these buildings over the years as well, remaining committed owners through changing times. The last family-owned downtown property, the Sherwin-Williams building at 822 New York Avenue, was sold in 2020.

Part Three: A Clock, a Film, and a Gift to the Future — The Sheffield Family Returns, 2025–2026

In 2025, the Sheffield family learned of Alamogordo MainStreet’s ongoing efforts to restore and revitalize the historic downtown corridor. The three surviving siblings — John, Larry, and Janet — reached out to express their appreciation and their desire to contribute in a meaningful way.

They chose to donate a historic street clock, to be installed near 822 New York Avenue — the same address their father developed in 1971. The clock, an ornate piece bearing the inscription “Est. 1898” and the name “Alamogordo” in gold lettering, is already in fabrication. The finished piece will take its place on New York Avenue as both a functional timepiece and a monument to the city’s founding generation.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on June 16, 2026, at noon at 822 New York Avenue in downtown Alamogordo. The public is warmly invited to attend.

Part Four: The Filmmaker — Larry Sheffield and The Cosmic Trigger

Larry Sheffield’s connection to Alamogordo’s history runs deeper than family business. It runs into the atomic age itself.

A native of Alamogordo, Larry grew up in the long shadow of the Trinity Test — the detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945, at a site in the Jornada del Muerto desert just over an hour’s drive from his hometown. But it was not until he began researching his family’s past that the full weight of that history came into focus. His grandfather, he discovered, had worked on the Manhattan Project under a classified security clearance, moving across three project sites in just two years: Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. His grandfather had never spoken of it while alive. Sheffield only learned the truth after his death.

That discovery launched a body of documentary work that has earned Larry Sheffield more than 33 national and international film festival awards. His production company, First Light Productions, is based in Phoenix, but his films have always been rooted in Alamogordo and the Tularosa Basin.

His debut documentary, Alamogordo, Center of the World, Trinity 1945 (2021), told the story of why this city was chosen as the site of the first nuclear test. His second film, Oppenheimer After Trinity (2023), explored J. Robert Oppenheimer’s inner world before, during, and after the detonation — featuring testimony from Oppenheimer’s own grandson, Charles Oppenheimer — and won Best Historical Film at the Cannes World Film Festival. His third film, The Atomic Rocketeer (2024), chronicled Wernher von Braun and Operation Paperclip, the program that brought captured German rocket scientists to the New Mexico desert to advance American aerospace ambitions.

Now comes The Cosmic Trigger — co-directed with Trent J. Di Giulio — which asks the question that has quietly haunted military historians and researchers for decades: did the detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb signal humanity’s presence to something watching from beyond? The documentary traces the extraordinary surge of unexplained aerial phenomena reported over southern New Mexico in the years immediately following the Trinity Test, from 1945 to 1957. Military personnel, scientists, and engineers stationed at White Sands Proving Ground, Holloman Air Force Base, and Los Alamos National Laboratory logged wave after wave of anomalous sightings over these sensitive installations — the famous “Green Fireballs,” structured craft near missile ranges, objects that hovered and accelerated in ways no known technology could replicate, and radar returns with no corresponding aircraft.

Sheffield builds his case not through conspiracy theory but through rare declassified military documents, unseen archival footage, fresh witness testimonies, and expert analysis of early U.S. Air Force investigations. The film had its world premiere at the Oppenheimer Festival in Los Alamos in August 2025. Its Alamogordo screening — in the very city at the center of its story — will be one of the most meaningful of its run.

The Cosmic Trigger — Alamogordo Premiere: May 16, 2026 • 6:00 PM

Venue: Flickinger Center for the Performing Arts, 1110 New York Ave, Alamogordo, NM

Tickets: Available now at etix.com

Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/471WuF9hTcQ

More on Larry Sheffield: larrysheffield.com

“We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the citizens of Alamogordo and to those who continue to care for its historic downtown. Through the leadership of the city and the dedication of the business community, downtown remains a true jewel in the desert for future generations.”

— The Sheffield Family, April 2026

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