Dietz, Robert, Farmhouse
4117 Rio Grande Blvd., NW, Albuquerque, NMLong a landmark on Rio Grande Bouldevard, the large Dietz Farmhouse is a unique two-story structure in the north Valley. It is significant in Albuquerque as the home for many years of the Robert Dietz family, one of the early Anglo farming families in the area, and significant architecturally as a fine example of a rare vernacular interpretation of the Prairie style.
Robert Dietz came to Albuquerque in 1910 seeking a cure for tuberculosis. He was originally from Syracuse, New York where his family owned the Dietz Lantern Company which manufactured railroad warning lanterns. In 1913 he bought over 60 acres of land just north of the old plaza of Los Griegos on either side of Rio Grande Boulevard--then a dirt track. Over 40 acres came from John and Lola Armijo Borradaile and was known as the Borradaile Ranch. Lola Armijo was one of the many children of Ambrosio Armijo, who owned the Los Poblanos Ranch just to the north and probably included the Borradaile property.
The Dietz family grew "everything" as well as starting a herd of dairy cows, according to the youngest son Robert Dietz III who still lives in Albuquerque. The children went to a non-denominational school held in the downtown Jewish synagogue, making the long trip by pony, cart, buggy, and eventually wagon.
The second story was added in 1928 repeating the banks of windows and hipped roof of the original one-story house. The Dietzs continued to live in the house until the 1940's when they sold it to Dale Bellamah, a housing developer. Bellamah later sold the house to Dr. Albert Simms, whose father and uncle lived at Los Poblanos just to the north. Bellamah kept the vacant land and later built the successful Dietz Farms subdivision there. The farmhouse was sold in1969; she added the open porch on the south and extended the one-story north wing; both additions are well-designed and in keeping with the proportions and detailing of the 1928 structure. The house and the stable are included in the nomination.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.