Category: Architectural Features
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Architectural Feature: Schmidt-McDonald Ranch House
Not so long ago, all rural houses in New Mexico were “off the grid.” In the case of the historic Schmidt-McDonald ranch house in Socorro County, a wind-powered electrical system was installed before rural electrification came to the US on a large scale during the 1930s. Built by the German-immigrant Franz Schmidt family in 1913, the…
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Architectural Feature: The Robb House
“The process of entering the house … should be a continuing and developing experience in space and in view, almost processional in character,” wrote architect Don Schlegel FAIA of his design of the Robb House. Located in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, the Robb House was the site of the Foundation’s 2015 Annual Meeting on May…
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Architectural Feature: Central & Unser ABC Library
The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library (ABC Library) system welcomed its newest branch on April 18, 2015 to the city’s Westside. Located near the intersection of Central Ave. and Unser Blvd. NW, the 25,000-square-foot building brings library services to previously under-served neighborhoods. The new library was designed to be Albuquerque’s Westside “living room” – a warm and…
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Architectural Feature: Rio Grande Nature Center
The Rio Grande Nature Center and Preserve is a symbol of a profoundly important, but rapidly diminishing New Mexico ecosystem. The open fields are vestiges of a beautiful pastoral setting, which once stretched the length of the city. The natural wetlands still harbor a diverse set of environments that sharply contrast with those of the…
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Architectural Feature: Levitated Toy Factory
At first this 6,000 square foot 1950s era building in Downtown Albuquerque seemed an unlikely candidate for adaptive reuse by a company called the Levitated Toy Factory, but now it is a place for digital exploration, education, and the fabrication of the next generation of toys. “The project intent and challenge was to bring spiritual…
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Architectural Feature: Imperial Building
A $20 million mixed-use project is due to begin construction by the end of 2014 at 205 Silver SW on a vacant half-block. Dubbed the Imperial Building, it is born out of the City of Albuquerque’s Downtown 2010 Sector Development Plan that aims to revitalize downtown. The purpose of the project is to create a…
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Architectural Feature: The Historic Batten House
On May 31, the New Mexico Architectural Foundation hosted its 2014 Annual Meeting at the Batten House in Albuquerque, originally the Juan Cristobal Armijo “New Homestead”. After the meeting, participants received a guided tour of the property, which is normally not open to the public (benefits of membership!). The historic Juan Cristobal Armijo “New Homestead” and the contents…
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Architectural Feature: Hotel Andaluz
Hotel Andaluz is the latest form of the historic Albuquerque Hilton built in 1940. The fourth hotel built by Conrad Hilton, a San Antonio, N.M. native, the old Hilton was renamed and rehabilitated in 2009 by current owner Gary Goodman. In 2011, the Hotel Andaluz rehabilitation received a New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award for Architectural Heritage.…
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Architectural Feature: St. Augustine Church
Last year’s Architectural Tour of Isleta Pueblo provided participants with a close-up look and educational lecture by contractor Ed Crocker on the recent renovation of the 400-year-old St. Augustine Church. Under the original name of St. Anthony, the church was established in 1613. It is one of the oldest mission churches in the United States.…
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Architectural Feature: Zimmerman Library
In 2013, UNM’s Zimmerman Library celebrated its 75th Anniversary. Referred to as The Campus Heart, the library is known as one of the finest examples of Spanish-Pueblo Revival in the Southwest. Drawing upon his interest in the preservation, restoration, and revival of the local indigenous architecture, Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem designed various phases…
New Mexico Architectural Foundation 