Please delete the previous version of this newsletter for this corrected edition.

Thanks – from your "crackpot" president, Cara.

News and Views from the New Mexico Architectural Foundation :: March 2022

A Long Story, Short -- Results of the NMAF Planning Process

The Executive Board of the NMAF has been concerned with the way that the Foundation has been functioning for several years and deeply concerned about the road ahead after thirty-plus years as a membership organization. The membership numbers and participation have decreased significantly. We had less than twenty attendees at the last membership meeting and few attendees on the last architecture tour. Membership dues and the surplus from the annual tours has been the Foundations primary source of funding. At this point, there are only eight actual Foundation members. The Foundation cannot function as a viable organization under these circumstances. The pandemic forced the Foundation’s public activities into a nearly two-year hiatus and membership dropped to the current level. The viewer traffic on the NMAF website, the Facebook page, and the Guide to New Mexico Architecture website tells us that there is public enthusiasm for the Foundation’s projects and the purpose…but apparently no great interest in membership or individual participation.

The members of the Executive board, along with some past board members, other concerned members, and representatives of similar sister organizations worked together in a planning process to explore current conditions and to chart a course forward. The results of this planning process are transformative for the organization and are outlined in more detail on our website and linked to our Facebook page. Among those changes are the following:

Membership – The NMAF will move away from the current membership model. Memberships will no longer be solicited or accepted in the NMAF. Instead, the NMAF will seek sponsorships and contributions to sustain our on-going operations and will seek grant funding as it becomes available and is appropriate.  We encourage our current and past members to stay involved as participating partners and consider making contributions to the Foundation.

Leadership – The existing Executive Board will continue in place and will maintain the on-going operations of the Foundation. The Executive Board will be expanded to include membership from the UNM School of Architecture and Planning – a faculty member and a student member. Other Board members may be added as we move into this new model.

Publications and On-line Presence – The NMAF newsletter will be changed from monthly to a quarterly publication. We will maintain the NMAF website, Facebook page, a new Instagram page, and the (on-line) Guide to New Mexico Architecture. We will also move forward with a project to create a peer-reviewed journal addressing architecture topics and issues in New Mexico.

We will maintain a mailing list of current and recent membership for distribution of the newsletter. New partners will be able to subscribe to the newsletter from our website.

Architecture Tours and Annual Awards – The NMAF will continue (as soon as possible) with our annual architecture tours and our recognition awards. The tours will be publicized ticketed events and open to the public. Though suspended during the pandemic, the tour and awards will be reinstated once the Foundation has stabilized under the new model and the public health situation permits.

Even as these changes are evolving, certain immediate actions will be taking place. We are engaging a new (part-time, contract) publications specialist to manage our websites, our publications, and our contact/mailing lists. Additionally, we will seek corporate and/or individual sponsorships and donations to cover the Foundation expenses and budget. We will maintain our non-profit tax status and seek other appropriate revenue sources. We are currently reviewing and revising the by-laws to reflect the new operational model.

The detailed planning effort and discussions over the past few months have fostered a new vision of the New Mexico Architectural Foundation but preserved our focus on our original mission. This is a summary of the planning changes. A more detailed Statement of Direction is available for review on our website and our Facebook page.

This note, below, is from Anne Taylor, School Zone Institute President and longtime NMAF member. NMAF has long supported SZI and in 2017 collaborated with them to offer architecture classes for children as part of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Public Library's "Build a Better World" Summer Reading Program.  

The New Mexico Architecture Foundation has been very generous in the past few years, by supporting the School Zone Institute, Architecture and Children program with some small grants. These grants helped to establish design education programs in several schools such as the Eubank elementary school, (now the Janet Kahn School for the Performing Arts). Some funding also supported scholarships for some students to attend workshops. Mark Twain school was another elementary school, deeply involved with design education for over three years, and NMAF helped with that effort too. Architects were identified by the American Institute of Architects, Albuquerque Chapter to teach in the schools every Friday, which helped to give professional expertise to their assigned teachers.

For two years in a row, School Zone Institute has had a final exhibition at the School of Architecture, University of New Mexico, for parents and children who were very proud of the 1000 pieces of drawings and models that were displayed. With the degradation of our environment and the concern over climate change, this program promises to help the next generation become more cognizant of the environment and use design skills they have acquired. Perhaps these students will be able to help solve some of the challenges we are facing today and in the future that will help to keep our lives on planet earth more balanced.

Thank you NMAF.

Anne Taylor, President

School Zone Institute.

Here is a look at some people who have progressively impacted the architectural landscape in New Mexico in productive ways. We remember and acknowledge them here.

Lost Leaders

Anna Muller



Last October, longtime Albuquerque resident, Anna Muller, passed away. She was born in Albuquerque and was raised here and in Oakland, CA. Muller opened her own consultancy, NEDA Business Consultants Inc., to support minority and women-owned businesses. She purchased and restored the historic John Pearce House in downtown Albuquerque for her office.  

Muller was also active in the preservation of the historic residential community in downtown Albuquerque which resulted in the 1972 founding of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. The efforts of Muller and others resulted in zoning changes that protected historic homes from being converted to offices and apartments.

In addition to her homes in downtown Albuquerque, Muller owned the historic S.H. Kress building at 416 Central SW and the oratorio at the family ranch in Los Cordobas. 

Dr. Armin Rembe



Armin Rembe, an oncologist-hematologist and a steward of Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm, passed away in April last year. He and his wife, Penny, purchased half of the property in 1976 and raised their family there. In 1999 they purchased the remainder of the 25 acres and began a preservation plan for the entire property. The two iconic Territorial buildings, Los Poblanos and La Quinta, were designed by noted architect, John Gaw Meem and were completed in 1932 and 1934, respectively. Dr. Rembe and the family have expanded the uses of the estate while maintaining some of the public and community access that was a part of the 1930s design. His dedication to Los Poblanos has helped preserve this important icon of New Mexico history for future generations.

Well Done!

Ed Mazria, AIA Gold Medal

In December the American Institute of Architects awarded its highest honor, the Gold Medal, to Ed Mazria for his lifetime of work. From the AIA website the award is for:

 ...recognizing individuals whose work has had a lasting influence on the theory

and practice of architecture.

In 1979 Mazria wrote The Passive Solar Energy Book which had a significant influence on the design and construction community. Since then he has focused on climate change and how the construction industry has contributed to it. In 2002 he started Architecture 2030 which became a non-profit whose mission is: to rapidly transform the built environment from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central solution to the climate crisis. https://architecture2030.org/ Mazria and his team, based in Santa Fe, have taken U.S. government data and synthesized it into graphics that are understandable to the architecture and construction communities. Architecture 2030 has made a profound contribution to combating climate change.

https://www.aia.org/showcases/6346387-edward-mazria-faia

https://nmarchitectureguide.org/2019/08/15/botanic-garden-abq-biopark/

The Guide to New Mexico Architecture Hits 50!

NMAF Joins Instagram

Among the projects we've been at work on is the start of an Instagram account. Designed to share sites included in the Guide to New Mexico Architecture, the Instagram account will also serve to reach new audiences and direct their interest in visiting the guide online.

NMAF joins the ranks of several established local architecturally-focused accounts, including those of Friends of Architecture Santa Fe (@friendsofarchitecturesantafe), Modern Albuquerque (@modernalbuquerque), Walk Albuquerque (@walkalbuquerque), and The Ministry of Architecture (@archiministry). The Ministry of Architecture is run by 2019 Architecture + Community-award winner, Rachel Preston Prinz.

We invite you to support our efforts on Instagram by following @nmaffocus.

To all our loyal members,

If you read Ken Hartke’s A Long Story Short - Results of the NMAF Planning Process, you will see that NMAF is re-thinking the membership model. We thank all our many and devoted members of these 30-some years of our existence who have been an essential part of our community and operations. We hope you will continue supporting our efforts in the future. While we are moving away from memberships, we are still appreciative of any donations that an individual, or company might want to make. We are updating our website but donations can always be sent to: NMAF, PO Box 3666, Albuquerque, NM 87190. Thank you!