Albuquerque Can Be Brutalist
Brutalist Architecture Found Across the MetroABQ
Albuquerque Brutalism…
Ever come across an article that really opens your eyes about a topic?
Dwell.com recently published: Why you either love or hate Brutalism — The concrete history of modern architecture’s most polarizing style, by Nathan Ma. If the raw Brutalist architectural style is something you appreciate, feel disdain for, or you don’t know too much about it, the article is a great read.
Evolving in & from the Modernist Movement, Brutalism seriously emerged in the 1950’s as a stripped down, rough architectural form, with concrete often the main building component. Brutalism champions the use of raw materials over decorative design; it utilizes materials like exposed concrete, brick, steel & sometimes glass; it eschews circular designs for angular geometric shapes, & the finished work is often raw, unpainted &/or monochromatic, making it look unfinished & incomplete. The image above epitomizes that unfinished style.
The Humanities Building above is one of my favorite Brutalist structures in Albuquerque & lives on the main University of New Mexico Campus. Built in 1974, it’s “composed of abstracted cubic forms.” The building is surrounded by a network of raised raw concrete walkways that encircle the massive building & also encompass two adjoining buildings.
The image below is the Humanities Building from the south side, featuring the seemingly unfinished, elevated 2-story striated-concrete walkway. Another image of the elevated walkway.
University of New Mexico Brutalism
Besides the show-stopping Humanities Building, UNM has a bunch of other Brutalist-inspired architecture treats, if one knows where to look.
West of the Humanities Building sits the Clark Hall Chemistry Building. Originally representative of John Gaw Meem’s Spanish Pueblo Revival style, it was reimagined in 1969 with the addition of the Brutalist Riebsomer wing, seen above, featuring massive twin exterior floating concrete stairwells. More brutalism: heavy massing & entirely windowless from that view (the side-by-side ‘stacked’ windows are somewhat hidden at the top right of the image, facing north).
From Dwell: “To stand amongst brutalist buildings is to feel their presence; at times, this presence can be overwhelming.”
Next head south & west to the Brutalist Mechanical Engineering Building, seen below, which resembles an old time-clock punch-card. Another image from the west side of the Mechanical Engineering Building.
Dwell: “While Brutalism is often criticized for appearing unfinished, that’s part of the appeal.”
Downtown: MetroABQ Brutalism
A Brutalist piece of the Downtown Skyline is a good place to start. Realtors at least are familiar with Plaza del Sol, at 600 2nd St NW: it’s home to the City Planning Dept, construction permitting, & residential & commercial zoning offices. It has a lot of concrete massing & the concrete staircase that spans the width of the north side is a large aspect of the building. Another image, from the south side.
Plaza del Sol was on a (short) list of MetroABQ Brutalist buildings. I love the design & shape of it; however, it feels less Brutalist, & more Meso-American style, with the stone imprinting above the 1st floor & its pyramid shape. The building reminds me of the Isleta Pueblo Casino & Resort, just south of the Metro (image borrowed from Isleta Pueblo).
Still, Plaza del Sol has a lot of concrete massing, with straight lines instead of curves, is monochromatic with just the tan color, & it creates quite a presence when standing anywhere close to it. As architectural styles evolve, I imagine buildings can find themselves in more than one category…
Downtown Art Brut
The unassuming building above looks vacant, but it is actually a Brutalist Parking Garage & sits west of Plaza del Sol.
Around the corner, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, image directly below, lives conveniently next to the Bernalillo County Detention Center, further below, with its unique 2-sided jail cell windows & the interesting large windowless section spanning the middle of the building.
Civic Plaza Brutalism
Albuquerque’s Downtown Civic Plaza is home to many things. A stunning Brutalist Skyline building that lives on the west side is one of them: the City/County Building, seen on the left, in the image above. Not sure what goes on inside the building; however, the outside is mesmerizing up close, directly below.
Side-by-side, the stacked concrete image below reminds me of another MetroABQ Brutalist monument to concrete boulders: the John B Roberts Spillway, part of the Bear Canyon Arroyo greenspace.
Back Downtown:
While only built in 1975, the Brutalist-ly boxy Downtown Main Public Library, seen above & below, was recently designated a MetroABQ Landmark (2020), which is rare for a building so young.
From Albuquerque Modernism: “The structure contains 104,577 square feet of floor space divided over 3 stories, designed in the Brutalist style by George Pearl & his firm, SMPC Architects. It stands in the core of downtown Albuquerque. The structure consists of concrete column & slab construction with an exterior of buff brick & glass surrounded by a concrete plaza. It features two protruding windows on the east corners that allow for views of the nearby Sandia Mountains.”
New kid on the Downtown block…
The recently renovated, LEED-certified, 8-story Alvarado Square building is a Brutalist behemoth that is well worth standing near, to experience how whelmed-or-overwhelmed it makes you feel. Up close, it’s as if a gigantic beige anvil landed on 4th St, seamlessly suspended over the top of Gold Ave, which it actually is…The Brutalist Alvarado Square is a great, dramatic image-with-presence, perfect to end with.
Dwell.com final quote: “Love it or hate it: Brutalist architecture is hard to ignore. You’ll find it around the world — from the famed Barbican Centre in London to the Yale Art and Architecture Building in New Haven, Connecticut. These are buildings that command attention, & hark back to a midcentury movement that isn’t remembered for its subtlety…The Brutalist style is championed — & chided — for its massive lines, its undecorated facades, &, yes, its arguably brutal & blunt approach to geometry & form. Brutalist buildings are buildings with presence — they feel massive, & almost foreboding. But with a fresh perspective, they’re buildings that can be loved, as well.”
Thx for reading & for making it this far.
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About me
Extraordinary architects live & create in Albuquerque; beautiful & profound art installations abound; Greenspaces & Parklands define whole areas of the city; extras like Growers’ Markets & cultural events add to our quality of life. I’m a Realtor & write about it all in the MetroABQ Newsletter.
Below is a link to the full MetroABQ Newsletter Archive…
<<Check me out at my site: ChrisLucasABQ.com.>> Thx again!