National Register Listing

Luhan, Mabel Dodge, House

a.k.a. Big House;St. Teresa House

Luhan Lane, Taos, NM

Mabel Ganson Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan was born in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1879 to one of the city's leading banking families. She was an obstinate child who was greatly affected by her parent's quite open dislike of each other and the resulting coldness of the Ganson house. From childhood she had a love of the mysterious, superstitious, magical side of life. Although Mabel wrote copious journals about her life from the time she was young, she scrupulously avoided dates, making a biography a difficult task. In 1899 Mabel married Karl Evans, a local sportsman with whom she was intrigued because his activities and interests differed from hers. In about 1901 they had a son, John, who was to be Mabel's only child. After several years of marriage, Karl died in an accident. A year or two later in 1904 Mabel boarded a ship for Europe. There she met Edwin Dodge, an American architect headed for Italy. Mabel and Edwin were married several months later in Paris and in 1905 moved to Florence. There they bought a house, the Villa Curonia, which Mabel actively set about furnishing and found she had talent in the area and loved doing it. Another thing she loved doing and actively set about was collecting and gathering people. Most Americans living in or passing through Florence, especially those in the arts, attended Mabel's salons. By 1912 Mabel had grown tired of Florence and Edwin and moved back to New York and soon divorced Dodge. Once settled in an apartment in New York, she began to hold evening salons for artistic and literary figures. As a result she became quite a well-known figure in the New York artistic scene. She became involved with people such as Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, John Collier, Isadora Duncan, and others. Mabel was engrossed by the Armory Show of 1913 and wrote an article for the catalogue Arts and Decoration, "Speculations or Post-Impress ions in Prose." Among the artists she met was Maurice Sterne, a painter. At some point they began an affair and were married about 1916. The two had quite an unhappy marriage partly because of Mabel's possessiveness. In 1917, it was decided that Maurice would take a trip to the west to paint and to take the pressure off the marriage. He went first to Wyoming and then Santa Fe, Mabel joined him in Santa Fe in December 1917. Soon after arriving Mabel took them to Taos and she fell in love with the place, though Maurice was reluctant about it. She found quarters to rent with Mr. Manby and the Sternes moved from Santa Fe to Taos. Mabel, who immediately was attracted to the Indians, began making frequent trips to Taos Pueblo. There she met Tony Luhan and the two developed a strong friendship. In 1918, Tony found some property suitable for Mabel to buy and Tony became foreman of the construction crew for a house. Daily Mabel went to inspect progress and talk with Tony. Maurice was busy painting and finally began sculpting some busts, a project he had always wanted to undertake. Mabel's and Maurice's relationship deteriorated and he left Taos in August 1918. The two were divorced somewhat later. When Maurice left Taos, Mabel and Tony's friendship developed into a love affair and in April 1923 the two were married. In 1922, the big house was completed and Tony began a house for himself across the acequia on his allotment. He also became Mabel's Mayordomo and chauffeur. With this Big Beginning at the brass capped monument, P.C. 194,p.2 on the southerly bank of the Acequia Madre; proceed along the Acequia Madre del Pueblo which makes an arc on the north, west, and south sides of house; at the intersection of the ditch and a point 50 feet east of the east edge of the house proceed north to the starting point.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.