Old Albuquerque High School

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Old Albuquerque High School is a historic landmark that lies at the center of the trendy East Downtown (EDo) area of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The campus comprises five buildings grouped around a central courtyard at the intersection of Central and Broadway NE. The buildings were occupied by Albuquerque High until the school was relocated in the 1970s, leaving the old campus empty. It was not treated well; most of the windows were broken out by vandals, and the buildings became something of an eyesore.

After sitting empty for three decades, the school has now been converted to an ambitious loft apartment complex, marking a victory for preservationists who feared the landmark buildings would be demolished. Alumni were offered first choice of the newly renovated lofts.

The first building built on the site was Old Main, a Gothic edifice of brown brick and concrete that went up in 1914. It was designed by Henry C. Trost of El Paso and included classrooms, an auditorium, a gymnasium, and a science laboratory. Old Main was followed in 1927 by the Manual Arts Building on the east side of the campus, which was designed by local architect George Williamson. The other three buildings on the campus- the Classroom Building, the Gymnasium, and the Library- were built using New Deal funding between 1937 and 1940. These buildings were designed by local architect Louis Hesselden.