Werner-Gilchrist House

Coordinates: 350444.2N 1063709.3W

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Werner-Gilchrist House was a historic house located in the

Werner-Gilchrist House
University Heights neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Built in 1908 as one of the earliest structures on the East Mesa, it U.S. National Register of Historic Places
was considered a pioneering building in Albuquerque's 20th-century N.M. State Register of Cultural Properties
suburban growth.[3] It was added to the New Mexico State Register
of Cultural Properties[4] and the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.[1] After standing empty for decades and reaching an
advanced state of disrepair, the house was finally demolished in
November 2011.[5]

Contents
1 History
2 Architecture Werner-Gilchrist House, May 2010
3 In popular culture Location 202 Cornell Dr.
4 References SE, Albuquerque,
New Mexico
Coordinates 350444.2N
History 1063709.3W
Built 1908
The house was built in 1908 by Laura Werneran employee of real
estate developer and future mayor D.K.B. Sellers[6]and her son- Demolished 2011
in-law Ralph Gilchrist. Located on a corner lot in Sellers' newly NRHP reference # 82003320[1]
platted University Heights Addition, the house was originally
NMSRCP # 880
surrounded by empty scrubland with no other buildings nearby
except for the University of New Mexico campus to the northwest. Significant dates
Gilchrist and Werner died in 1920 and 1930, respectively, but Added to NRHP August 2, 1982
Gilchrist's widow (and Werner's daughter) Nora Gilchrist continued Designated NMSRCP June 4, 1982[2]
to live in the house until her own death in 1981.[7]

After remaining vacant for decades, the decrepit house came to the attention of the city in 2005 when its
owners applied for a demolition permit. Recognizing the historical importance of the building, the city denied
the permit and applied to have the house designated as a protected city landmark.[8] However, the continuing
deterioration of the home made it cost-prohibitive to renovate[3] and it remained in limbo until safety concerns
brought the issue to a head in 2011. The city ended up issuing a demolition permit, and the house was razed
beginning on November 19, 2011. Three UNM architecture graduate students, Bron Heintz, Hilary Noll and
Bailey Porter, intervened in the conventional demo-to-landfill process of building demolition by carefully
disassembling and salvaging as much of the building as possible, and diverted over half of the materials from
the waste stream for reuse.[9]

Architecture
The Werner-Gilchrist House was an example of the "hipped box" style, with a wood-framed hip roof and
dormer windows on all four sides.[3] The house had 16-inch thick adobe bearing walls resting on a stacked
stone foundation, with wooden door and window frames and trim. A wide entrance hall ran the length of the
first floor, while the second floor consisted of a single large room.[10]
In popular culture
Like many locations in Albuquerque, the Werner-Gilchrist House made an appearance in Breaking Bad, where
it portrayed a crackhouse.[6] Before its demolition, the owner of the house offered to let it be blown up on the
show, but the producers declined.[5]

References
1. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System" (http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/n
atreg/docs/All_Data.html). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "New Mexico State and National Registers" (http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/programs/registers.h
tml). New Mexico Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
3. Sanchez, Isabel (November 8, 2005). "Neighbors Divided On Historic Home's Future". Albuquerque
Journal. NM. p. D1.
4. "Properties by County" (http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/documents/PropertiesByCounty.pdf)
(PDF). New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
5. Holland, Kim (November 23, 2011). "Historical landmark coming down" (http://www.kasa.com/dpps/ne
ws/interactive/historical-landmark-coming-down_3997995). KRQE News. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
6. Carr, Jessica Cassyle (October 27, 2011). "The Architectural Undead" (http://alibi.com/news/39196/The-
Architectural-Undead.html). The Alibi. NM. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
7. Linthicum, Leslie (September 4, 2011). "Historic Home Now on Demolition Row" (http://www.abqjourn
al.com/main/2011/09/04/upfront/historic-home-now-on-demolition-row.html). Albuquerque Journal.
NM. p. A1. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
8. Sanchez, Isabel (January 12, 2006). " 'Pioneer' Called a Landmark - 1908 Home Gets City's
Designation". Albuquerque Journal. NM. p. C2.
9. GONZALES, CAROLYN (26 March 2012). "Werner Gilchrist House Deconstruction Focus of
Exhibition" (http://news.unm.edu/2012/03/werner-gilchrist-house-deconstruction-focus-of-exhibition/).
UNM Today. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
10. Sanchez, Isabel (December 2, 2005). "This Old House May Escape the Wrecking Ball". Albuquerque
Journal. NM. p. B1.

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