National Register of Historic Places

Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter

Artesia, Eddy County, New Mexico
Listed
September 28, 1999
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99001171

About this property

Abo Elementary School in Artesia, New Mexico, United States, was the first public school in the United States constructed entirely underground and equipped to function as an advanced fallout shelter. Designed at the height of the Cold War and completed in 1962, the school had a concrete slab roof which doubled as the school's playground. It contained a large storage facility with room for emergency rations and supplies for up to 2,160 people in the event of nuclear warfare or other catastrophe. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Location

1802 Center Ave.
Artesia, Eddy County, New Mexico
32.83264, -104.42012

Categories

MILITARYEDUCATIONSOCIAL HISTORYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hodges-Sipple House
Civil War
0.9 mi
Lukins, F. L., House
Industrial
0.9 mi
Baskin, William, House
Industrial
1 mi
Acord, John, House
Industrial
1 mi
Robert, Sallie Chisum, House
Industrial
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter listed on the National Register?

Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter?

Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter?

The period of significance for Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter is recorded as the industrial era.

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