Old School New Mexico Architecture

I love New Mexico. My Mom had an estate sale a few weekends ago in a stunning house right on Rio Grande. For those not from Albuquerque, Rio Grande is a magnigicent boulevard with extraordinarily pricey homes (think million pluss...)

The house was designed by famous New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem in 1937. The family will be restoring the house according to his original plans.



It's over 6500 square feet, adobe in the Territorial Style, on 10 acres just off the river.



While it needs some updating, it is spectacular. All the proportions are right. It's not too pretentious, but when you go inside, it all feels perfect. This is what you see when you go in the front door.



There's a formal dining room to the left, along with the kitchen and a large family room. To the right is a large living room, and a wing with 3 or 4 bedrooms. Straight ahead is a spectacular breezeway.



The tacky sliding glass doors will be replaced with French doors, as designated in the original plans. The light fixtures are original tin work- gorgeous. At one end of the breezeway is a fantastic example of a kiva fireplace.



And here's a close up of the details built in to the fireplace.



It was fabulous to be in this great old house for a day. I really enjoyed watching te people who "got" the house- they were awestruck. Pretty darn cool, if you ask me.