The UNM historic preservation committee applied for a $120,000 grant funded by J. Paul Getty Trust and chose to look at around 60 buildings constructed before 1970.
Terri Gugliotta, UNM archivist, said ti was done because those buildings are starting to get old.
The grant will ultimately help the UNM historic preservation committee decide which buildings have to remain on campus and which ones can be torn down.
A document will be compiled according to committee criteria, including what role the buildings play in history and who the architect was to determine its historical significance, Gugliotta said.
"The grant is really supporting the creation of this document," she said. "It is going to be incredibly valuable to the University."
The surveys will last around a year, and Gugliotta said each building will be analyzed inside and out.
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"We're going to evaluate everything in that building," she said. "The door hardware, the window hardware, the plaster, the ceilings, and the floors and (see) what material they are made of and the condition."
She said they will also look at the electrical and mechanical systems to get an idea of the state of the buildings in terms of which need repairs or paint.
The goal is also to add to the less than a dozen UNM buildings already on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico.
Marron Hall, Mitchell Hall and the engineering escape pod are on the register. Zimmerman Library qualifies because of its age, but is not on the list.
"Trust me," Gugliotta said. "That one will go on the register. That is a permanent building."
The grant supports the building surveys but does not include funds for renovations.
"So we'll search for another granting agency to search for reservation and preservation," she said. "This is just phase one, we hope, of a long-time project. It is essentially a project that could go on forever."
