Second United Presbyterian Church
a.k.a. La Segunda Iglesia Presbyteriana Unida;Second Church
812 Edith Blvd., NE, Albuquerque, NMThe Second United Presbyterian Church at 812 Edith N. E. is the second home of the oldest Protestant Spanish church in Albuquerque. Descendants of the first settlers of the mid-19th century community of Martineztown established the church in 1889 and it has continued to play a major role in the life of this cohesive Hispanic community. The present church building, erected in 1922, has been little altered since its construction and stands as an excellent and rare example of the Mission style in the city. As an important local institution and as one of only a handful of city buildings designed in the Mission style, the Second United Presbyterian Church is locally significant.
Local significance of the building: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.
The first European to visit what is now New Mexico was likely Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer who traveled through the region in the early 16th century. However, it was not until the arrival of Juan de Oñate in 1598 that the Spanish established a permanent settlement in the area.