Building at 701 Roma NW
701 Roma, NW, Albuquerque, NM701 Roma, NW, built circa 1904, is significant not only for its historic associations with the turn of the 19th century boom of Albuquerque's "new town", but also because it retains a substantial amount of its original Queen Anne detailing in spite of a recent history of unsympathetic alterations and uses.701 Roma, NW is located immediately adjacent to the residential area of Albuquerque referred to as the Albuquerque Downtown Neighborhoods Area (see NRHP listing of 12/80). This area developed as a result of the 1880 construction of the railroad through Albuquerque, making it the railroad center of New Mexico. The railroad line was constructed approximately one and one half miles east of the then existing town of Albuquerque, encouraging development of both a new residential and commercial city. 701 Roma, NW was constructed on the eastern edge of this new residential development. Because of subsequent "renewal" efforts and the expanding downtown core, 701 Roma, NW has become separated from the more tightly-knit residential area to the west. The 1980 National Register Albuquerque Downtown Neighborhoods Multiple Resource Area boundaries, therefore, fall one block short of including 701 Roma, NW.Albuquerque's railroad era "new town" boom produced a variety of architectural styles and sophistication not previously known in the city. This is evident from early photographs and the many remaining structures in the adjacent Downtown Neighborhoods Area. 701 Roma, NW retains its original scale and much of its original Queen Anne detailing representative of this early residential environment.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
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.