Old Armijo School
1021 Isleta Blvd., SE, Albuquerque, NMOld Armijo School's significance is tied in large part to the fact that it is the sole remaining example of the work of Atanasio Montoya, the educational reformer who almost single-handedly brought Albuquerque's rural schools into the twentieth century. When it was built in 1914, the school was described by the Albuquerque Journal as "modern in every particular, well ventilated, well lighted, and equipped in accordance with the very latest and most approved ideas." The old Armijo School was originally known as the Ranchos de Atrisco District 4 School and was the second of Montoya's constructions as Superintendent of Bernalillo County's schools in the period just before the First World War. Atanasio Montoya appears to have been a remarkable man who saw the need for reform in rural education. He designed old Armijo himself, as he did all the county's new schools of this period, and supervised its construction. As superintendent, he hired improved teachers and developed a progressive program and philosophy within the schools. Through his initiative, the city's outlying school system became established in the modern sense, and the old Armijo School stands today as one of the only reminders of that of progress.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
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.