A New Modernist Landmark: The Albuquerque Main Public Library

Virtual Event

Image details

Join Modern Albuquerque for an exclusive virtual tour of the Albuquerque Main Public Library, the city's newest landmark! Designed by George Clayton Pearl FAIA of the architectural firm Stevens, Mallory, Pearl & Campbell, the flexible library space masterfully blends regional sensibilities with modernist principles. Completed in 1975, forward-thinking programming has kept it remarkably well-preserved - and beloved by its administrators. Many original design features have survived the years, including funky and futuristic 1970s furnishings and fabrics.

Taking you on the tour of this modernist monument will be Thea Haver, Modern Albuquerque's Founding Director. Attendees will go behind closed doors, up dark stairways, and into time capsule spaces all the while exploring the subtle brilliance of the building's concept. Its expression has been alternately interpreted as both brutalism and regional modernism, a discrepancy Haver will discuss while presenting evidence of the architect's design intent.

The Albuquerque Main Public Library received a sensitive update by Cherry/See/Reames Architects in 2006. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 and designated by the Albuquerque City Council as a city landmark in 2020.

Details

The tour will be broadcast on YouTube at 10:30 am Eastern, 8:30 am Mountain Time on Saturday, October 24th.

Free to attend, no registration required

Access the event via the link below

The link will also be available via www.modernabq.org/events


This event is made possible through a partnership with the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department and Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, with additional support provided by the Albuquerque Historical Society.