Brick and Stone: Architecture and Preservation

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Brick and Stone: Architecture and Preservation

Monthly Archives: May 2016

Discovering Places: Among the Ancients – Acoma

27 Friday May 2016

Posted by klh048 in Archetects, Architecture, History, Preservation, Pueblo, Road trip

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Acoma Pueblo, Adobe, Mother Road, New Mexico

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAcoma Pueblo — “The Sky City” — is possibly the longest occupied place in America. There are other contenders, Taos Pueblo up north or the Hopi pueblos over in Arizona are also extremely old in the context of occupied Native American communities. Each of the three communities are unique in their location and position in the landscape…set almost like a jewel..  Archaeological evidence shows that people were living on the mesa top at Acoma 2,000 years ago. The existing pueblo dates back at least 800 years. Acoma is particularly accessible and the people welcome tourists and are happy to provide a guided tour of the mesa-top pueblo.  Acoma, the word, can be translated to “A place always prepared”. Accessibility is a relative term…The pueblo sits on top of a 350 foot mesa.

Interstate 40 passes close enough to entice visitors to the tribal visitor center. There is also the Sky City Casino out by the interchange. The old pueblo itself sits apart — high up on the top of a mesa. There was no road up to the top of the mesa until about fifty years ago and it is still an impressive drive.  Most tribal members live in the more modern communities of Acomita and McCartys out by the highway but extended families will maintain their ancestral home up on the mesa top and use it for special occasions or religious observances. There are permanent traditional residents at the old pueblo including the religious leaders of the tribe.  The setting of the place in the landscape is stunning with 360-degree views out across the desert and mesas.

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It is hard to escape the  Earth’s beauty from the old pueblo. Desert storms track across the horizon, lightning flashes in the distance, seasons change and the night sky is amazing.

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This is a living community…not a relic or ruin. Kids play out on the road and dogs stroll or nap in the shade. Streets are left unpaved as this is mostly a place of walking….but there are a few cars and trucks parked next to the buildings.

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Traditionally, the pueblo structures were entered through the roof and some of the household activity took place on the roof of the structures. Today there are still some examples of this. The active kivas are entered through the roof.

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Hornos, the bee-hive ovens used for cooking or baking, were introduced by the Spanish but have become a fixture in pueblo culture.

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The mission church of San Estevan Del Rey (named for Stephen I of Hungary) is the largest single structure at Acoma, dating to around 1629-41.  Although it was built by forced labor under the direction of the Spanish, it is a revered and holy place today. All material had to be hand carried up the 350 foot climb to the top of the mesa. The massive wood beams were carried twenty-five miles from Mount Taylor. Today, a society of church caretakers (the Gaugashti ) maintain the church as a lifetime commitment. The cemetery, laid out in front of the church, is particularly sacred ground. The mission church of San Estevan Del Rey is the oldest and largest intact adobe structure in North America.

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It is a plain and austere structure both inside and out…almost monolithic in appearance. There are few interior decorations other than some wall murals and painting. San Estevan was the only pueblo mission church to survive largely unscathed from the Pueblo revolt of 1680. The church bell was a gift from the King of Spain.

San_Esteban_del_Rey_Mission,_Acoma_Pueblo 1934_(Valencia_County,_New_Mexico)

The southwestern architect, John Gaw Meem,  was engaged in the restoration of the church in the 1920s. The photo above dates to 1934 and the church appears much the same today. It had deteriorated somewhat before the restoration and was on the brink of falling into ruin. The depth of the cemetery, built up by successive burials, can be seen in the old photo.

Life goes on at Acoma.

If you visit, there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the top of the mesa and a guide will show you around and explain what you are seeing and the history of the place. There are a few vendors selling pottery or other crafts and some traditional food. The guide will explain the photography restrictions at the church — no interior pictures. At the end of the tour you can take the shuttle or choose to climb down the ancient pathway that was the main access to the pueblo before the road was built.

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 An April storm approaches

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A Modern Library

15 Sunday May 2016

Posted by klh048 in Archetects, Architecture, Modern design, NM Archetectural Foundation

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Albuquerque, Archetectural design, Libraries, Library design, New Mexico, Route 66

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe New Mexico Architectural Foundation held its annual membership meeting at the Central and Unser Branch library in Albuquerque. We were given an overview of the design and construction phase of the library project by one of the chief architects involved and then led on a tour of the facility by the library system director.

These are a few pictures of the award-winning library with a few notes on some of the features. Go to the NM Architectural Foundation’s web sites for more detail (see below).

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New Mexico and Albuquerque are “stucco happy” in a sense because it works in this dry climate and it harks back to some traditional southwestern cultural basics. It also blends in with the desert terrain but if you want something to stand out you use a different material.  In this project the choice was brick, to provide a monumental permanence to the structure, and lots of glass to open the space and bring in natural light while allowing for sweeping views toward the Sandia and Manzano mountains. There is a little stucco — the white panels and the frames around the study room pods.

The building is located on Central Avenue…old Route 66…and Unser Boulevard next to a major public transportation hub.  There is no back side to the library due to the location and the way it is positioned. Even the loading dock is positioned in an up-front location but it isn’t readily noticed.

The entrance plaza tower is functional as an air intake for the HVAC system. The seemingly random horizontal lines on the tower structure is actually the bar code for “library”. The library has a “living room” of sorts with a fireplace and a large brick chimney on the south side of the building that serves as another vertical feature.

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Stacks are kept low to allow for light penetration and to provide unhindered sight-lines for staff working at the central desk area. Library security is sometimes an issue and the openness of the design gives the impression that patrons are visible and this boosts the level and feeling of security.  The technology space under the raised floor allows for flexibility with computer wiring as well as easy access to mechanical  functions. The library has a basement in one area which houses the HVAC equipment.

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All staff presence is concentrated at the main desk which allows for reduced staffing in some respect. There is no need for a circulation desk separated from an information desk or an interlibrary loan desk. Staff working at work spaces in the rear-ward section can tell what is happening at the front desk and assist if needed.

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There is a separate glass-enclosed  young adult section near the entrance equipped with gaming and other space and ample electrical outlets (not pictured). The large children’s area provides special stacks with face-forward book displays, space for reading , story time and separate restrooms. The children’s activity room is a space of its own with a stage area for performances and a display of a local young artist’s work on the walls.  Durable furniture is important since the likelihood of renovation or replacement of library fixtures or furniture will be years, if not decades, into the future.

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The library has earned a number of design awards. The tour for NMAF members was enjoyable and revealed a lot about the inner workings of a library and how design can aid in the efficient and safe functioning of a modern library.

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New Mexico Architectural foundation:  https://newmexicoarchitecturalfoundation.org/

NMAF Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/newmexicoarchitecture/

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Recent Posts

  • Nominations now being accepted for NMAF annual awards program
  • Architecture Day at local school is a favorite of students — New Mexico Architectural Foundation
  • Predock’s Gift
  • In Praise of Old Hotels — Las Cruces
  • NMAF Tour – Toast to Trost

Recent Comments

klh048 on In Praise of Old Hotels…
Donna Catterick on In Praise of Old Hotels…
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klh048 on Holy Dirt – The Adobe Ch…
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