Washington Apartments facts for kids
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Washington Apartments
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Washington Apartments, September 2012
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 Location in New Mexico
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1002–1008 Central Ave. SW., Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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| Built | 1916 |
| Architect | J.L. LaDriere |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003319 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 19, 1982 |
The Washington Apartments are a set of old, important apartment buildings in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are a great example of how apartments were built in the early 1900s. These apartments were built in 1916 by a local businessman named James D. Eakin. They have stayed mostly the same over the years. The Washington Apartments are listed on both the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are officially recognized as important historical places.
History of the Washington Apartments
The Washington Apartments were built in 1916. A local businessman, James D. Eakin, had them constructed. He was already successful in his other businesses. The apartments were designed by J.L. LaDriere. Building them cost $21,000, which was a lot of money back then!
The apartments opened in September 1916. The local newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal, was very excited about them. They wrote that "Everything that modern craft can devise has been utilized." This meant the apartments had all the newest features. Some cool new things included refrigerators and electric stoves. They even had Murphy beds, which fold up into the wall to save space!
James Eakin lived in the apartments himself. He also managed them until he passed away in 1931. His family continued to own the buildings for many years. In the early days, the complex also had a special bath area in the basement. There were also garages for cars and even a tennis court for residents to play on.
The apartments were added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1978. A few years later, in 1982, they were also added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Architecture and Design
The Washington Apartments are made up of two identical buildings. They are built from red brick. A narrow courtyard separates the two buildings. This courtyard helps bring light into the apartments inside.
Each building is shaped like a rectangle. They both have two floors above ground and a basement. The roofs are "hipped roofs," which means they slope down on all four sides. The front of each building looks the same on both sides. Each side has three sections, or "bays." In the middle, there's a porch that sticks out. This porch goes up two stories. It has a "gable roof," which is a roof that slopes down on two sides, forming a triangle. The porch also has classic-looking columns and railings, called "balustrades."
Inside, the buildings have a hallway down the middle. Apartments are on both sides of this hallway. There's an oak staircase at each end of the hallway. When they were first built, the apartments had one-bedroom units and smaller "efficiency" units. Many of the original details inside the apartments were still there in 1981.
