Los Candelarias Chapel-San Antonio Chapel
1934 Candelaria Rd., NW, Albuquerque, NMThe San Antonio Chapel in Los Candelarias is significant locally as an excellent and well-preserved example of a New Mexico Vernacular chapel and as the only building remaining in the Los Candelarias area which conveys the existence of the old plaza of Los Candelarias. Additions to the chapel have all been placed on the side not visible from the street and do not detract from its appearance. The double entry door is an especially fine example of Folk Territorial woodwork.
The chapel was built in 1888, probably to replace an earlier building since in that year two Los Candelarias residents offered to donate land for a new chapel. Six weeks later priests from San Felipe de Neri in Albuquerque traced the ground plan and the community hired a mason to begin work. The chapel served the local community until after World War II and was used sporadically after that for church-related community functions. It was sold in the late 1950's to a sculptor who used it for a studio. The present owner bought the property in 1970. She has restored the painted-glass church windows and has not divided the space in the chapel so the simple tall one-room interior retains its original character.
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.