National Register Listing

Nordhaus, Robert, House

6900 Rio Grande Blvd., NW, Albuquerque, NM

The Nordhaus House is the only other local example besides three houses in the Los Poblanos Historic District of John Gaw Meem's Territorial Revival homes built during the 1930s while he was at the height of his powers. The house displays a wealth of finely designed and crafted New Mexican detailing and, as is to be expected with Meem's work, is well-sited and designed to take advantage of a superb view of the Sandia Mountains. Although the Nordhaus House is less than 50 years old, it is of exceptional significance because it is a rare local example of Meem's most creative period. Bainbridge Bunting, in his soon-to-be-published book on Meem, characterizes the north valley examples of Territorial Revival as part of Meem's "most appealing work." and notes that Meem was the "first (who) turned back for inspiration to that nineteenth-century New Mexican fashion", so these buildings are important in the history of the development of the Territorial Revival style.

Meem designed the house for Robert Nordhaus, a young lawyer, and an Albuquerque native, who lived with his family at 1 6900 the Rio Grande for 32 years. Robert's father, Max Nordhaus.

had come to New Mexico at the end of the 19th century to work with the Ilfield brothers of Las Vegas who ran one of the largest trading and merchant operations in the territory. Nordhaus senior later came on to Albuquerque and raised his family here. Robert Nordhaus was one of the original participants in the establishment of the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1984.