Territorial architecture

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Territorial architecture featured square columns, dentils and window and door trim Territorial arch SFNM.jpg
Territorial architecture featured square columns, dentils and window and door trim

Territorial architecture was a style of building developed and used in the New Mexico Territory from the time of the American occupation in 1846 until 1912, [1] at which time New Mexico stopped being a territory and became a state.

New Mexico Territory territory of the United States of America, 1850-1912

The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of New Mexico, making it the longest-lived organized incorporated territory of the United States, lasting approximately 62 years.

A federated state is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation. Such states differ from fully sovereign states, in that they do not have full sovereign powers, as the sovereign powers have been divided between the federated states and the central or federal government. Importantly, federated states do not have standing as entities of international law. Instead, the federal union as a single entity is the sovereign state for purposes of international law. Depending on the constitutional structure of a particular federation, a federated state can hold various degrees of legislative, judicial and administrative jurisdiction over a defined geographic territory and is a form of regional government.

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A vernacular subgroup, from 1860-1935, of the Territorial Style is known as the Folk Territorial, Folk Carpenter, and Spanish Folk Territorial. The style was found "particularly in Northern New Mexico", and consisted of applied wood Greek Revival and Gothic details, added to the building styles of the Pueblos and the Spanish missions in New Mexico, the Northern New Mexico adobe building construction style. [2] Following the increase of its popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, it became referred to as the Territorial Revival style, which became another popular building style alongside New Mexico's Pueblo Revival style.

Spanish missions in New Mexico

The Spanish Missions in New Mexico were a series of religious outposts in the Province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México — present day New Mexico. They were established by Franciscan friars under charter from the monarchs of the Spanish Empire and the government of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in a policy called Reductions to facilitate the conversion of Native Americans—Indians into Christianity.

Territorial Revival architecture

Territorial Revival architecture describes the style of architecture developed in the U.S. state of New Mexico in the 1930s that incorporated elements of traditional regional building techniques with higher style elements. The style, named after the New Mexico Territory (1850-1912), was intended to recall the state's Territorial architectural history and was extensively employed for state government buildings in Santa Fe.

Pueblo Revival architecture

The Pueblo Revival style or Santa Fe style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States, which draws its inspiration from the Pueblos and the Spanish missions in New Mexico. The style developed at the beginning of the 20th century and reached its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, though it is still commonly used for new buildings. Pueblo style architecture is most prevalent in the state of New Mexico.

Early history

When the Americans, under General Stephen Kearney, arrived in New Mexico in August, 1846 they did not find the fabled and fabulous cities that they had expected. Rather they found a built environment that was totally alien to what they were accustomed. James Bennett, a U.S. dragoon, describes Las Vegas, New Mexico as "a great pile of unbaked brick" adding, "Upon closer inspection everything about the town was dirty and filthy... [with] miserable dirty streets [that] all look alike" [3] while Mora was described by another US soldier, Frank S. Edwards as consisting "of a few mud huts", continuing, "nothing could be more discouraging to me fated to remain a whole year in Mexican territory than the first view of this town." [4] The city of Santa Fe did not inspire any more admiration, "one traveler likened it to 'a dilapidated brick kiln or a prairie dog town." [5]

Stephen W. Kearny United States general

Stephen Watts Kearny was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican–American War, especially the conquest of California. The Kearny code, proclaimed on September 22, 1846 in Santa Fe, established the law and government of the newly acquired territory of New Mexico, and was named after him. His nephew was Major General Philip Kearny of American Civil War fame.

Dragoon mounted infantry soldiers

Dragoons originally were a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 18th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry, trained for combat with swords from horseback.

Las Vegas, New Mexico City in New Mexico, United States

Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities, both were named Las Vegas—West Las Vegas and East Las Vegas —are separated by the Gallinas River and retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts.

Oldest surviving Territorial house in Santa Fe Oldest Territorial home.jpg
Oldest surviving Territorial house in Santa Fe

Development by Anglo-Americans

Soon "increasing numbers of Anglo-Americans began to arrive with new materials and architectural ideas based on those of the communities from which they came. Millwork and brick were imported from St. Louis and Kansas City. The small grilled and glass-less windows began to give way to double hung glazed sashes often provided with slatted shutters on the outside." [6] The Anglos were attempting to create a Greek Revival feel to the vernacular architecture that they found in New Mexico. [5] [7]

Millwork (building material)

Millwork building materials are historically any woodmill-produced products for building construction. Stock profiled and patterned millwork building components fabricated by milling at a planing mill can usually be installed with minimal alteration. Today, millwork also encompasses items that are made using alternatives to wood, including synthetics, plastics, and wood-adhesive composites.

Back porch, Canyon Road, Santa Fe Terrirorial Style 26.jpg
Back porch, Canyon Road, Santa Fe

The Anglos did three things to the adobe architecture. First they added Greek Revival trim to the windows and doors. In some cases shutters were placed by the windows, [7] which were just tacked onto existing structures. Because of the shortage of milled lumber, one of the first things that Kearney did was import the machinery to create a mill. [5] The next step was to start adding brick coping to the tops of adobe walls, thus making the walls substantially more water tight. The cost of importing bricks along the Santa Fe Trail made building entire houses out of brick prohibitively expensive. It was not long before brickyards were established. Frequently, bricklayers laid the bricks in such a way as to produce dentils in the courses.

Adobe Building material made from earth and organic materials

Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials. Adobe is Spanish for mudbrick, but in some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, the term is used to refer to any kind of earth construction. Most adobe buildings are similar in appearance to cob and rammed earth buildings. Adobe is among the earliest building materials, and is used throughout the world.

Coping (architecture)

Coping consists of the capping or covering of a wall.

Santa Fe Trail

The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe was near the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which carried trade from Mexico City.

Vernacular or Folk Territorial style house in Espanola, New Mexico Vernacular territorial .jpg
Vernacular or Folk Territorial style house in Española, New Mexico

To further simulate a Greek Revival appearance the Anglos replaced the round tree trunk columns employed by the Hispanic builders with square ones, typically with chamfered corners. Often they were embellished with trim to simulate capitals and bases.

Column structural element sustaining the weight of a building

A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term column applies especially to a large round support with a capital and a base or pedestal which is made of stone, or appearing to be so. A small wooden or metal support is typically called a post, and supports with a rectangular or other non-round section are usually called piers. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces. Other compression members are often termed "columns" because of the similar stress conditions. Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest. In architecture, "column" refers to such a structural element that also has certain proportional and decorative features. A column might also be a decorative element not needed for structural purposes; many columns are "engaged", that is to say form part of a wall.

Molding (decorative) class of decorative elements in the ornamentation

Moulding, also known as coving(United Kingdom, Australia), is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster, but may be of plastic or reformed wood. In classical architecture and sculpture, the molding is often carved in marble or other stones.

Capital (architecture) part of a column (architecture)

In architecture the capital or chapiter forms the topmost member of a column. It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface. The capital, projecting on each side as it rises to support the abacus, joins the usually square abacus and the usually circular shaft of the column. The capital may be convex, as in the Doric order; concave, as in the inverted bell of the Corinthian order; or scrolling out, as in the Ionic order. These form the three principal types on which all capitals in the classical tradition are based. The Composite order, established in the 16th century on a hint from the Arch of Titus, adds Ionic volutes to Corinthian acanthus leaves.

Finally the Anglos introduced the pitched roof and the material to produce them. The ternplate roof was a metal one, made in strips and composed of an alloy of tin and lead. Manufactured in the East, the strips were designed to be soldered together, producing a roof much longer lasting and much less leaky than the flat roofs that were commonly used. [7]

Reintroduction

The style remained in use until 1900. It came back into use in 1930 in the form of Territorial Revival architecture.

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References

  1. ↑ Bunting, Bainbridge, ‘’Early Architecture in New Mexico’’, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque 1976 p. 88
  2. ↑ New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office guidelines of architectural styles in the New Mexico. P. 28
  3. ↑ Bennett, James Augustus; Clinton E. Brooks; Frank Driver Reeve (1996). Forts and forays: a dragoon in New Mexico, 1850-1856. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN   0-8263-1690-5.
  4. ↑ Edwards, Frank S. (1996). A Campaign in New Mexico With Colonel Doniphan. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. p. 20. ISBN   0-8263-1698-0.
  5. 1 2 3 Wilson, Chris (1997). The Myth of Santa Fe: Creating a Modern Regional Tradition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN   0826317464.
  6. ↑ Federal Writers Project (1941). New Mexico: A Guide to the Colorful State (American Guide Series). Albuquerque: US History Publishers. p. 153. ISBN   0-403-02181-2.
  7. 1 2 3 Conron and Lent (1979). "The Architecture of Santa Fe: A Survey of Styles". New Mexico Architecture: 14–15.
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