The Heights Community Center is a historic

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. It was built from 1938 to 1940 by the

National Youth Administration The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal agency sponsored by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency. It focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. It operated from June 26, 1935 to ...

(NYA), a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

agency which provided jobs and vocational training for young Americans. The building was constructed on a minimal budget using donated and scavenged materials, including discarded nails collected from the Albuquerque Municipal Airport construction site. Subsequently, the NYA also built the Barelas Community Center in 1942. These were the first two community centers in the city, and both are still in use as of 2021. The Heights Community Center has hosted the same types of functions since it opened, including dances, classes and activities for children, and space for community groups. The building was added to the

New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural ...

and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2021. It is also an Albuquerque Historic Landmark. The community center is a one-story Pueblo-Revival-style building constructed using labor-intensive traditional methods including hand-formed

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

bricks and hand-cut

vigas This is a list of characters associated with the character The Punisher. Family Tree , - , style="text-align: left;", Notes: Frank Castle Jr. Francis "Frank" Castle Jr. is the son of The Punisher (Frank Castle) in Marvel Comics. The ...

. It is modeled after a traditional Spanish-style

hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

, with a single row of rooms arranged around a central courtyard. An internal ''portal'' (

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

) surrounds the courtyard on all four sides. The building contains classrooms, offices, a meeting room, a kitchen, and a large dance or assembly hall. An addition was built in 1949 which doubled the size of the dance hall. Further additions were built at the rear in 1980 and 2006.

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Albuquerque, New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Albuquerque, New Mexico Community centers in New Mexico Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties Government buildings completed in 1940 Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico {{NewMexico-NRHP-stub