Lembke House

The Lembke House is a historic house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and one of the best examples of residential International Style architecture in the city.^[3] It was built in 1937^[4][5] by Charles H. Lembke (1889–1989), a local construction company owner who was also Chairman of the City Commission during the time he occupied the house.^[6] It was one of the earlier houses in the Huning Castle neighborhood, an area of large homes that was mostly developed between the 1930s and 1950s.^[7] The house was probably constructed as a speculative venture^[3] as Lembke lived there for less than a year before selling it.^[8] The house was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.^[2]

Lembke House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
NM State Register of Cultural Properties
The house in 2014
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Location	312 Laguna Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Coordinates	35°5′18″N 106°40′5″W
Built	1937
Architect	Townes & Funk
Architectural style	International
NRHP reference No.	80002541[1]
NMSRCP No.	467
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 25, 1980
Designated NMSRCP	August 27, 1976[2]

The house is two stories high with a basement and is constructed from reinforced concrete. The defining feature of the building is a rounded corner with three vertical bands of glass brick extending almost the full height of the house which is oriented toward the adjacent street corner. The interior of this feature contains an entry atrium and curving stairwell. The house also has a semi-cylindrical protrusion on the rear elevation, but is otherwise mostly rectangular in plan. The interior includes living, dining, and study space on the ground floor along with maid's quarters, and three bedrooms and two exterior balconies on the second floor. The basement contains a den, hobby room, and utilities. Metal casement windows, steel railings, and bird's eye maple flooring are used throughout. The house was designed by Townes & Funk, an architecture firm based in Amarillo, Texas.^[3][5]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "State and National Register Spreadsheet" (Excel). New Mexico Department of Historic Preservation. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
3. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Lembke House". National Park Service. November 25, 1980. with five accompanying photos
4. "New Lembke Home". Albuquerque Progress. 4 (9): 7. November 1937. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
5. Brewer, Steve (January 26, 1993). "Living in the Light". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Penrose, Steve (August 15, 1989). "Services Announced for Charles Lembke". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Dewitt, Susan (1978). Historic Albuquerque Today: An Overview Survey of Historic Buildings and Districts (2 ed.). Albuquerque: Historic Landmarks Survey of Albuquerque. pp. 105–106.
8. "House Is Sold". Albuquerque Journal. September 11, 1938. Retrieved June 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.