New Mexico: Architecture 3: Alamogordo: New York Avenue

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

I suspect only the most devoted archiphiles will look at the slide show of these New York Avenue houses. You can be pretty sure I wouldn't be sitting here looking at what appears to be a listing page for a realtor. Nevertheless, I just couldn't stop taking photos of the houses on New York Avenue because they are so damned interesting. No cookie-cutter-itis here.

So before I lose you, I'll tell you about the man who owns this house:

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

We got to talking; he was sitting outside on the front porch while his two granddaughters played in the yard. Considering I was slowly walking down the street taking pictures of his neighbors' houses, I thought I'd at least better say, hey, to set his mind at ease. So glad I did.

I told him I was admiring the many housing styles on the street, and we agreed that some had been beautifully maintained or rehabbed and some were in pretty dire straits. He told me he'd lived in this house for 20 years and that he'd rehabbed it himself.

He built that wall. And you know where he got the metal pickets? He salvaged them from the braces that hold up the "t" bar of a wooden telephone pole. And the fence finials? Bowling balls.

I also like how his house telescopes: 

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

Here are a few solo shots of houses on New York Avenue.

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

On New York Avenue in Alamogordo, there are houses made of adobe, stucco, brick, wood, and stone. There are white, gray, taupe, butterscotch, cream, cafe au lait, brown, blue, pink, green, and mustard houses. There are bungalows, arts-and-craftsy sorts of houses, ranches, colonials, shotgun houses, and I don't know what else.

#30

Alamogordo: New York Avenue

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

My guess is that New York Avenue was Alamogordo's first main commercial street. One or two blocks to the west, along a parallel track, is White Sands Boulevard, aka Highways 54 and 70.

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

If you were just passing through Alamogordo, you might not know about New York Avenue at all, which would be a pity. Not because of its charming, tiny historic business center, because, frankly, the little business center is not very charming.

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

No, it'd be a pity to miss New York Avenue because of the interesting residential architecture you'd see, from its beginning at First Street to where it dead-ends at a bleak trailer park.

I'll address the architecture more specifically in another post, but for now I'm including photos of government buildings on this street, along with former residences made over into business establishments.

New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

 
There are two well-regarded restaurants on New York: Memories and Country Kitchen. Haven't been to either yet. There are two Otero County buildings here. Law firms. Accountants. Eye docs. The historic theater, the Flickinger, which is a rather unattractive building, but which enjoys fervent community support. So I'll say its spirit has beauty.

Flickinger Theater, New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico

 

There's an unexpected minaret on a building that's on the corner of New York and 10th.

New York Avenue and 10th Street, Alamogordo, New Mexico

 
A New York Avenue resident I talked to noted that his street is the widest in town, a feature he appreciates. And I'll add that there are sidewalks on both sides of the street, another plus.

More photos below:    

#30