User:Camerafiend/Sawmill-Wells Park
Sawmill-Wells Park | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood of Albuquerque | |
 New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in the Sawmill District | |
| Coordinates: 35°06′N 106°40′W / 35.1°N 106.66°W | |
| Government | |
| • City Council | Isaac Benton |
| • State House | Javier Martínez (D) |
| • State Senate | Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D) Bill O'Neill (D) |
| • U.S. House | Deb Haaland (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.07 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| Population (2010)[3] | |
| • Total | 2,114 |
| • Density | 1,972/sq mi (761/km2) |
| ZIP Code | 87102, 87104[1] |
| Area code | 505 |
The Sawmill District and Wells Park are two adjacent neighborhoods in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which are closely interlinked and often treated as a single neighborhood. The area is located northwest of Downtown and northeast of Old Town and encompasses residential, commercial, and industrial uses.
Geography[edit]
The generally accepted boundaries of Sawmill-Wells Park are Interstate 40 to the north, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks to the east, Mountain Road to the south, and Rio Grande Boulevard to the west. The dividing line between Wells Park and the Sawmill District is 12th Street. Adjoining neighborhoods include Old Town, Downtown, and the Downtown Neighborhood to the south, Martineztown-Santa Barbara to the east, Near North Valley to the north, and West Old Town to the west.[4][5]
Name[edit]
The Sawmill District is named for the former American Lumber Company mill, which opened in 1903 and operated under various names until 1990. Wells Park is named for the city park of the same name, which was named in 1951 for longtime City Manager Charles E. Wells (1896–1953).[6][7]
Demographics[edit]
The 2010 United States Census recorded a population of 2,114 residents in Sawmill-Wells Park. The racial breakdown of the neighborhood was 63% Hispanic, 30% non-Hispanic white, 3% American Indian, 2% Black, and 2% other races or mixed-race.[3]
History[edit]
What is now Sawmill-Wells Park was traditionally farmland used by Tiwa Puebloans since about 1350 to grow corn, beans, squash, and cotton. The area remained agricultural in character after the arrival of Spanish colonists in the 1600s, with scattered small farms and a system of acequias to irrigate the land. After the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway reached Albuquerque in 1880, the farmland started to be converted to residential and industrial use. The American Lumber Company mill, for which the Sawmill District is named, opened in 1903 along a newly constructed railroad spur. At its peak, the sawmill covered an area of 110 acres (45 ha),[8] employed 600–700 workers,[9] and had its own line on the city streetcar system. The neighborhood also filled in with residential subdivisions, mostly constructed during the 1920s.[10]
Education[edit]
Sawmill-Wells Park is served by Albuquerque Public Schools. Public school students from the neighborhood are assigned to Reginald Chavez Elementary School, Washington Middle School, and Albuquerque High School.[12]
Transportation[edit]
The main thoroughfares in Sawmill-Wells Park are 2nd Street, 4th Street, 5th and 6th Streets (a pair of one-way arterials), and 12th Street, all of which run north-south.[13] Mountain Road and Rio Grande Boulevard run along the southern and western edges of the neighborhood, respectively, and there is also access to Interstate 40 along the northern boundary via the 4th, 12th, and Rio Grande interchanges.[14]
Public bus transit is provided by ABQ RIDE's 7 Candelaria Commuter and 13 Comanche Commuter (2nd/3rd), 10 North Fourth Street (4th), 8 Menaul, 92 Taylor Ranch Express, 93 Academy Commuter, and 94 Unser Commuter (5th/6th), and 36/37 12th Street/Rio Grande bus routes.[15]
Places of interest[edit]
Notable attractions in Sawmill-Wells Park include:
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
- Explora (children's museum and science center)
The neighborhood also contains two properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP):
- Salvador Armijo House
- Santa Fe 2926 (steam locomotive)
The Santa Fe 2926 locomotive was displayed as a static exhibit in Coronado Park from 1956 to 2000. In 2002 it was moved to a new location on 8th Street where it is undergoing restoration to full operating condition (as of 2021).
Notable residents[edit]
World champion boxer Johnny Tapia grew up in Wells Park and was closely associated with the neighborhood. After his death, the city renamed the Wells Park Community Center in his honor in 2017.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Advanced Map Viewer". City of Albuquerque. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
sdpwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "2010 Census Redistricting Data". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "Sawmill Area NA Map" (PDF). City of Albuquerque. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "Wells Park NA Map" (PDF). City of Albuquerque. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "Hearing Tonight on Street Names". Albuquerque Journal. September 13, 1951. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Charles E. Wells Ex-City Manager Dies at His Home". Albuquerque Journal. September 4, 1953. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Metcalf, Richard (February 17, 2014). "Renaissance in Sawmill District". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "American Lumber Co., Albuquerque and New Mexico's Largest Industrial Plant". Albuquerque Journal. February 25, 1912. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sawmill-Wells Park Sector Development Plan" (PDF). City of Albuquerque. 1996. pp. 5–11. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ Dewitt, Susan (1978). Historic Albuquerque Today: An Overview Survey of Historic Buildings and Districts (PDF). Albuquerque: Historic Landmarks Survey of Albuquerque. pp. 104–105. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "School Locations & Districts". City of Albuquerque. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "2019 Traffic Flow Map for Greater Albuquerque Area" (PDF). Mid-Region Council of Governments. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "Sawmill/Wells Park Community Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan" (PDF). City of Albuquerque. 2005. p. 12. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Bus Routes & Schedules". City of Albuquerque. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ Wright, Rick (May 17, 2017). "Community Center at Wells Park named after Tapia". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.