A View from the Ozone: Nob Hill from 1916 to 2017

On November 19, 2017 at 2 pm, Gary Eyster from the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association will describe the history of Nob Hill.

In 1916 Col D.K.B. Sellers platted the first subdivision of what we now know as Nob Hill, urging prospects to “move out of the low zone and up to the ozone.” He considered Nob Hill a fitting moniker for “the coming aristocratic section of Albuquerque.”
Small builders constructed the styles of the time and the vast majority of residences were built before WWII. Most of them retain their historic character today resulting in a museum of well-preserved, pre-war architecture.
In 1937, when Central Avenue was incorporated into Route 66, the Nob Hill business district had six buildings; two years later, that had grown to 44. Exuberant neon signs attracted travelers to filling stations, motor courts, grocery stores, and eateries. In this talk we will explore how this neighborhood came to be, learn to read its intriguing architecture and consider what may lie ahead.

The program will be held at the Albuquerque Museum in Old Town. Parking is free in the lot south of the Museum. Admission to the Museum and the AHS program is also free.

An Albuquerque native, Gary Eyster designed and built homes for 20 years. With his wife Melodie he has rehabilitated and restored numerous historic Nob Hill houses. He is a founder of reDiscover Nob Hill, a grass roots effort of neighbors and educators dedicated to raising the awareness and appreciation of Nob Hill’s historic character. An Emeritus Director of the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association, he learned Nob Hill’s story from beloved architectural historian David Kammer and loves the tie between its culture and its architectural form.