Sister Blandina School; The Sand Pebble
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Our Lady of the Angels School
1877; 1960s–1970s conversion into parish hall and gift shop. 320 Romero St. NW.
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(Photograph by Regina N. Emmer) -
Entrance (Photograph by Regina N. Emmer) -
Gable and bell tower (Photograph by Regina N. Emmer)
Our Lady of the Angels School is the oldest extant parochial school and the best-preserved example of the Territorial Style in Albuquerque. Built behind the Church of San Felipe de Neri, one block north of the plaza, the school was run by the Jesuits until the Sisters of Charity under Sister Blandina Segale arrived from Santa Fe to take over in 1881. Measuring about eighty-five by twenty-five feet, the one-story adobe structure has stone foundations, a cross-gabled roof, and a small wooden bell tower. The building is distinguished by the Greek Revival details of its pedimented door and windows, especially the carved dentils and the volutes and acanthus leaves of the Corinthian capitals that frame the main entrance. Originally laid out with two large classrooms flanking an entrance hall, the interior was altered slightly in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was partitioned into a parish meeting hall and gift shop. Otherwise, the building survives unchanged.
References
Bunting, Bainbridge. Early Architecture in New Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1976.
DeWitt, Susan. Historic Albuquerque Today: An Overview Survey of Historic Buildings and Districts. 2nd ed. Albuquerque, NM: Historic Landmarks Survey of Albuquerque, 1978.
DeWitt, Susan, “Old Albuquerque Historic District,” Bernalillo County, New Mexico. National Register of Historic Places Inventory–Nomination Form, 1980. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Johnson, Byron A. Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico: A Guide to Its History and Architecture. Albuquerque, NM: City of Albuquerque, 1980.
Simmons, Marc. Albuquerque: A Narrative History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1982.
White, Robert, and Mary Davis, “Our Lady of the Angels School,” Bernalillo County, New Mexico. National Register of Historic Places Inventory–Nomination Form, 1984. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Writing Credits
Coordinator:
Christopher C. Mead
Regina N. Emmer
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