Solar Building
National Register of Historic Places

Solar Building

Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Listed
October 9, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
89001589

About this property

The Solar Building, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the world's first commercial building to be heated primarily by solar energy. It was built in 1956 to house the engineering firm of Bridgers & Paxton, who were responsible for the heating system design. The novel building received widespread attention, with articles in national publications like Life and Popular Mechanics, and was the subject of a National Science Foundation-funded research project in the 1970s. It was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1985 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, only 33 years after it was built.

Location

213 Truman St., NE.
Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico
35.08087, -106.58754

Categories

ENGINEERING
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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Everything a full report reveals about Solar Building

This page lists Solar Building. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Tewa Lodge
Modern
0.4 mi
De Anza Motor Lodge
Pre Contact
0.5 mi
Aztec Auto Court
Industrial
0.8 mi
Modern Auto Court
Industrial
0.9 mi
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Modern
1 mi

Nearby Battles

Chamuscado-Rodríguez Expedition 1581
1581Colonial
4 mi
Reconquest of New Mexico (de Cruzate's Campaign)
1689Colonial
4.4 mi
Pueblo Revolt – Otermín's Failed Reconquest 1681
1681Colonial
6.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Solar Building listed on the National Register?

Solar Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Solar Building?

Solar Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Solar Building?

The period of significance for Solar Building is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1956.

Can I research the history near Solar Building?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Solar Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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New Mexico history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

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