Projects - Tombstone Restoration Commission

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Active Projects

Current restoration work underway in Tombstone as of 2025-2026.

Active — Primary Project

Bank Building / Mercantile Restoration

The Bank Building and Mercantile is TRC's primary focus for 2025 and 2026. This landmark building has deep historical significance as the site of the original Pioneer Store and Cochise County Bank. The project involves comprehensive documentation including before-and-after photography, drone aerial imaging, LiDAR scanning, and underground exploration of the structure's foundations.

A community workshop was held on December 4, 2024, attended by Mayor Dusty Escapule, Interim City Clerk Charissa Presti, and Public Works Director Robby Nicholas. Project architect Robert Barnes presented an update to the TRC board at the April 22, 2025 meeting.

Active — Joint City Project

Visitor Center Building (4th and Allen)

TRC is partnering with the City of Tombstone to restore the historic Visitor Center Building at the corner of 4th and Allen Streets. The scope of work includes water drainage improvements, historic woodwork renovation in partnership with Stan Greer Millworks, exterior painting, and window re-glazing.

The project scope was reviewed and narrowed to focus on the primary Visitor Center building; an adjoining structure currently housing the Rangers museum and library store was excluded from the current phase.

Completed — January 2026

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Bell Tower

TRC partnered with and provided financial support for repairs to the bell tower of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, established in 1883 and recognized as Arizona's oldest Protestant church. Deterioration had silenced the bell for three years.

On January 4, 2026, the restored bell rang for the first time in three years — a milestone that resonated throughout Tombstone's historic district.

Completed Projects

Landmarks restored and preserved by the TRC since 1949.

Completed — 1959

Tombstone Courthouse (1882)

TRC's most significant achievement. The historic courthouse, built in 1882, had stood vacant since 1929 when TRC began the restoration effort in 1955. After four years of work, the courthouse reopened as a museum in 1959.

Today it operates as the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, housing original legal documents and thousands of artifacts from Tombstone's territorial era. It is one of Arizona's most visited historic sites and a direct result of TRC's founding vision.

Completed

Schieffelin Hall

TRC oversaw the restoration of Schieffelin Hall, one of Tombstone's most iconic 19th-century performance venues. The project was funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the Walter Ferguson Foundation, facilitated by Linda Krater.

Completed

Tombstone Municipal Pool (Built 1883)

TRC managed a $200,000 grant from the Ferguson Foundation for the restoration of the Tombstone Municipal Pool. Built in 1883, the pool is considered the oldest working pool in Arizona — a remarkable piece of Tombstone's civic history that most visitors never hear about.

Restoration Projects