San Felipe de Neri Church, Old Town Plaza, Northwest, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, NM

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Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey

7 drawings
1 data pages Supplemental Material

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TITLE:
San Felipe de Neri Church, Old Town Plaza, Northwest, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, NM

CALL NUMBER:
HABS NM,1-ALBU,11-

REPRODUCTION NUMBER:
[See Call Number]

MEDIUM:
Measured Drawing(s): 7 (24 x 36 in.)

DATE:
Documentation compiled after 1933.

CREATOR:
Historic American Buildings Survey, creator

NOTE:
Survey number HABS NM-176

Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (N135).

Building/structure dates: 1706 initial construction

Building/structure dates: 1793 subsequent work

Building/structure dates: 1866 subsequent work

Building/structure dates: 1871 subsequent work

Building/structure dates: 1877 subsequent work

Building/structure dates: 1891 subsequent work

0.1993

Significance: In 1993, San Felipe de Neri Church celebrates the 200th anniversary of its rebuilding and continuous use. The structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is notable for its surviving and easily interpreted record of architectural and social evolution spanning more than two and a half centuries. The church was built in 1706, the year of the founding of Albuquerque as noted in the certificate issued by Governor Cuervo y Valdes Franciscan Fray, Francisco Atanasio Dominguez. described the original building in his report of 1776. Allowed to fall into disrepair, the church was rebuilt in 1793. Nineteenth century changes reflect the influence of a change in church administration following the establishment of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe under Archbishop Lamy. Through the centuries the church has been in use by a population which has adapted the building to new conditions and new preferences. Each stratum of construction provides as fine an example of its period as may be found in New Mexico today. The massive adobe walls and wood beams, "vigas," date from the 18th century. Evidence of the clerestory which threw light on the altar remains in the attic. The mid to late 19th century bell towers illustrate the development of New Mexican folk art. On the interior, a "skin" of late nineteenth century fabrication is laid over the old interior. A wood floor replaced the traditional hand-packed earth; walls are covered with tongue and groove wainscoting carried to shoulder height; a stamped metal ceiling covers the "vigas" which were originally exposed. The altar and confessionals contain some of the state's finest existing examples of New Mexican interpretations of Greek Revival and Victorian cabinet work and decorations. The great architectural value of the complex derives from the unique amalgamation of work from each era. All of New Mexico's Spanish and post-Spanish past is contained and synthesized in San Felipe de Neri. The accommodation of New Mexico's multi-cultural history is illustrated in the building today and will continue to evolve as new generations continue to use and adapt the architecture to changing social needs.

SUBJECTS:
NEW MEXICO--Bernalillo County--Albuquerque
religious services
adobe buildings
Catholic churches

COLLECTION:
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

REPOSITORY:
Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

DIGID:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.nm0188

CONTROL #:
NM0188

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