Old Main makes its mark: Special Collections Library named to National Register of Historic Places

Albuquerque’s Special Collections Library, a handsome Spanish Pueblo Revival building that grew with the city, has been listed on the National Register of Historic places.

“We’re happy this beautiful, historic building in Albuquerque has been officially recognized by being placed on the National Historic Register,” said Acting Library Director Kelli Murphy.

Listing on the register recognizes the building at 423 Central NE not only for its architectural excellence, but also for the significant role it played in the Albuquerque community.

“It is a shocking thing to many of us that it was not already on the historic register,” said Teri L. Reynoso, a librarian with the Public Library of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County. “I personally think that the building tells the history of Albuquerque.”

The building served as Albuquerque’s main library from 1925, the year its construction was completed, to 1975 and was an vital gathering place for the city’s children, a place for public meetings and social gatherings and a space for exhibiting works of art before Albuquerque had a museum.

“It was built in 1925 during a population boom caused by people with TB (tuberculosis) coming here to seek a cure,” Reynoso said. “There were expansions of the library during the baby boom and growth after World War II.

“The library grew because the city grew. This was the place where people got their first library card, where they went to story time. This was Albuquerque’s only library until 1947 and the main library until 1975.”

Exciting historically

The Old Main Library closed in 1975 when the present Main Library opened at 501 Copper NW. Old Main reopened in 1978 as the Special Collections Library, which is dedicated to preserving the history of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County for the past 125 years.

Reynoso worked at Special Collections for eight years and is among those organizing the celebration of the library’s 100th anniversary on March 22.

“We’re hoping to recreate the opening gala, which was on March 23, 1925,” Reynoso said. “We hope the governor and the mayor will be there. There will be a 1920s-style jazz band. Cake and punch. Just like they did in 1925.”

In May, the Albuquerque Museum will feature an exhibition about Old Main and a documentary about the building is in the final stages.

“I’m really excited to showcase this library that so many of Albuquerque’s young people don’t even know is there,” Reynoso said.

The Special Collections building was not Albuquerque’s first public library. The first municipal library opened in 1901 at the Central and Edith site, operating out of the first floor of a three-story brick building that had been a school.

But by the 1920s, that building had been damaged by fire and was considered obsolete. It was demolished and some of its bricks were used to build the Spanish Pueblo Revival style Old Main, which was designed by Albuquerque City Engineer Frank Kimball.

Kimball worked with artist Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) in creating the building. Baumann’s designs, inspired by Puebloan art, decorate support posts, borders around windows and fireplaces in the library.

The Special Collections staff gives a tour of the building every other month. The next one is at 11 a.m. Nov. 23.

Reynoso led about 60 of those tours while she was on the staff at Special Collections.

“My favorite thing to point out historically on the tour is Gustave Baumann’s signature above the front door, which is untouched,” she said. “That’s exciting historically. But my favorite thing to point out personally is a reproduction of the Carl Redin (1892-1944) painting ‘Enchanted Mesa.’”

The original of Redin’s work was transferred to the Albuquerque Museum, but Reynoso is fascinated with the painting’s story.

“It was found in the basement of City Hall in the 1950s,” she said. “Carl Redin moved to Albuquerque for the TB cure.”

Magical event

In October, Special Collections had a History Harvest open house aimed at collecting anecdotes, materials and photos about Old Main that could be used for the Albuquerque Museum exhibit and/or the film documentary.

“Forty-seven people attended that event,” Reynoso said. “It was so moving to hear the older population talk about how welcoming the (Old Main) library was, how safe the library was. Some people’s eyes would glisten over as they talked about it. It opened up a new world for them.

“There was one lady, in her late 70s or early 80s, who told us she was a little girl living in Barelas when someone told her about this place that would let you borrow books. She asked if she could go along the next time. She was about 8. She got dressed up in her Sunday-best clothes and brought a purse. It was an absolute magical event for her.”