ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – One of the oldest buildings in the Duke City is turning 121-years old. What makes something so old and not so well-known so important?
“Just so many great things have happened here. So, I think that’s really important to preserve that, to preserve the space, and make sure it’s there for future generations,” said Arlene Burson, one of the directors of the Whittlesey House Preservation Foundation.
The house is the product of Charles Whittlesey, who came to New Mexico from Chicago in 1902 to supervise the construction of the famous Alvarado Hotel where the Albuquerque Transit Center currently resides.
The house was built in 1903 and was owned by the Whittlesey family until 1908. The building went through a series of owners before becoming a fraternity house in the 60s. Eventually, in 1973, it became what it is now: the home of the Albuquerque Press Club.
“It was kind of a hub at the time for the city because you could see all the way out to the volcanoes. You could see the mountains, all of that stuff,” Burlson said.
The house still has a lot of its original structure and sits on the over 100-year-old foundation. This is concerning because every time it rains, the hill the building resides on loses a little more of its dirt.
“We don’t wanna slide down the hill. We don’t wanna lose our foundation because, without it, the Press Club is gone,” Brandon Thompson, the treasurer for the Albuquerque Press Club.
To raise public awareness and celebrate the building’s ‘birthday,’ they are holding an open house and accepting donations all funds go to the betterment of the building and cost for a structural analysis to be done.
“Once you get one thing, once you get the questions answered, then it’s like, ‘OK, how much more do we have to put into this to make sure this place stays as it is?”
If you would like to learn more about the Whittlesey House Preservation Foundation, click here. To learn about future events with the Press Club, click here.
