Simms Building
400 Gold Ave. SW, Albuquerque, NMThe history of the city of Albuquerque is marked by three significant events: its founding as a city of New Spain in 1706, the arrival of the railroad in 1880, and the establishment of Albuquerque as the capital of America's nuclear war machine, the dominant site of weapons research, management, and testing" after 1945. Until the Post-War era, Albuquerque's character was that of a small city with little significance outside of the region defined by the state. The period during which Albuquerque became "Americanized" constitutes the most radical transformation in this city's story. While the pre-war, old-town, attitude was illustrated with buildings in the regional, revival, and classical styles firmly rooted in the sometimes distant past, the future would be embodied in the Modern styles, particularly the 1952 Simms Building, the first International style high-rise in downtown Albuquerque.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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.