Edward Buxton Cristy

Edward Buxton Cristy
c. 1916 – 1918
Born(1860-11-02)November 2, 1860
New York City
Died(1934-02-20)February 20, 1934
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
EducationPhillips Exeter Academy
Columbia University
OccupationArchitect
Spouse(s)Estelle Cristy (nee Gillespy), 1860–1932
Children2, Anne Cristy Henderson (Mrs. Algo Henderson), 1897–1962.
Edward James Cristy, 1899–2002.
Signature

Edward Buxton Cristy (1860–1934) was among the first architects working in and from Albuquerque, New Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In a growing city, he designed residential, commercial, and institutional structures. His work with William Tight at the University of New Mexico involved study of pueblos and incorporation of their forms into contemporary projects. This defined Pueblo Revival architecture.

Biography

Cristy was born in New York City[1][2] and raised in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut.[3] He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Columbia University,[2] receiving a "Bachelor of Philosophy (Course of Architecture)" in 1891.[4] His degree is sometimes mis-described as a "Ph.D.", or doctorate,[1][2] but this contradicts original sources.[4][5] (Bachelor of Philosophy is often abbreviated "Ph.B.")

Due to ill health, he moved to Albuquerque in 1892, where he practiced as "E. B. Cristy." Initially, he supplemented his income by teaching at a private boarding school, by teaching drawing, drafting, and higher mathematics at the University, and by serving as the city's plumbing inspector.[3] He married Estelle Gillespy in Denver on July 20, 1896.[3][6]

With the then-recent establishment of the Santa Fe Railway Shops, Albuquerque was growing rapidly from village to city.[7][8] Cristy established himself as a first-rate architect and became architect for the Angus A. Grant estate, a major holder of real estate in Albuquerque's new center.[1]

As a prominent community member, he volunteered on the city's park commission for several years, was a member of the Masons, the Order of Odd Fellows, and an active elder in the Presbyterian Church.[1][2][3] He was one the "Ten Dons," a group of ten prominent city men who met monthly for dinner and the presentations on current topics.[3]

"Most of Cristy's designs are in the standard styles of the period"[3] but he participated in the conception of Pueblo Revival.[2][9] From his arrival in Albuquerque until his death in 1934, Cristy practiced for nearly forty years. Including five contributing properties, twelve of his known commissions are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Much of his work remains unattributed.[3]

Pueblo Revival at the University of New Mexico (UNM)

Cristy's significant work at UNM began in 1900 when he designed the University's Hadley Science Hall, a traditional two and a half story brick Richardson Romanesque structure, and, after the Main Building (now Hodgin Hall), the second major building on campus. The following year, UNM's third president, William G. Tight, took office envisioning a campus reflecting indigenous Southwestern architecture. Cristy was enlisted in implementing Tight’s vision:

"E. B, Cristy has returned to the city from the pueblo of Taos, N. M., where he went the early part of the week to take observations of some of the pueblo buildings, which he expects to reproduce in plans for the University of New Mexico. Several new buildings are to be added to the university in the near future and it is a hobby of Dr. Tight to have them resemble the architecture of Taos." (Albuquerque Evening Citizen, September 14, 1907)[10]

The novel style was both acclaimed and controversial; detractors described it as "reverting to the primitive."[9] This, and other controversies, led to Tight’s resignation in 1909, but he had successfully commissioned Cristy for six structures in the Pueblo style. (Estufa and Cristy's remodel of Hodgin Hall remain.) In 1910, punctuating Tight’s departure, Cristy’s traditionally styled Hadley Science Hall burned to the ground. Subsequent campus development did not consistently adhere to Pueblo Revival,[9][11]although Crisy oversaw the 1920 construction of the Pueblo designed Sara Raynolds Hall.[3]

Beginning in 1934, the year of Cristy's death, Tight's and Cristy's Pueblo Revival would be amplified on campus, in Santa Fe, and throughout the Southwest, when John Gaw Meem was engaged as UNM's official architect.[9]

List of works

This list is certainly incomplete, especially for residential commissions; as of 1907, these included "most of the finer residences in the city."[1] It is occasionally unclear if Cristy was the designer or the local supervising (on-site) architect for another firm. Addresses are in Albuquerque unless noted otherwise.

University of New Mexico Commissions

Name AddressBuiltOther Information Image
Gymnasium[3]UNM Campus1899Frame bldg, 25 X 50 feet. Demolished.No image.
Hadley Science Hall[3][9]UNM Campus1900Burned down, 1910.
Heating Plant[3][9]UNM Campus1905Demolished.No image.
Hokana Hall[3][9]UNM Campus1906Women's dormitory, demolished.
Kwataka Hall[3][9]UNM Campus1906Men's dormitory, demolished.
Estufa[2][3]SE corner University Blvd & Martin Luther King Blvd1907Student-designed, Cristy approved. National Register of Historic Places.
Hodgin Hall[3][9]1900 Redondo Drive, UNM Campus1908Remodelled by Cristy over Jesse Wheelock's 1892 design. National Register of Historic Places.
Rodey Hall[3]UNM Campus1908Demolished 1970.
Sara Raynolds Hall[3]2000 Redondo Drive, UNM Campus1920Cristy supervising architect under Arno K. Leupold. National Register of Historic Places.

Other Education Commissions

Name AddressBuiltOther Information Image
Second Ward School[3]700 South Edith Blvd1893Enlarged in 1902, demolished 1927 and replaced by Eugene Field Elementary.
Central High School[3]Corner of Third St, and Lead Avenue.1900Demolished.
Sage Memorial Administration Building[3]Allison-James School, Santa Fe, NM.1924No image.
Belen School Board[2]Belen, NMBefore 1912No image.
Saint Vincent's Academy[2]NW corner, Sixth & Lomas AvenuesBefore 1912Remodel or addition to 1884 structure. Demolished.
Pierson Hall[1][3]Menaul School Campus1903Remodel.
Hart Gymnasium[3]Menaul School Campus1916
Teacher's Hall[3]Menaul School Campus1920Extant and in use as of 2026.
Bennett Hall[3]Menaul School Campus1924
NM School of Mines[2]Socorro, NM1901No image.

Church Commissions

Name AddressBuiltOther Information Image
Immaculate Conception Church[1][3]Sixth & Copper AvenuesBefore 1907.Remodel of interior.
First Presbyterian Church[1][2][3]424 Silver Avenue1905-06Fully designed by Cristy. Demolished.
First Congregational Church[1][2][3]Coal & Central Avenues1893Remodel after fire. Demolished 1960.
Episcopal Church[1][2]324 Silver AvenueBefore 1912.Cristy did an early remodel preceding an historically-respectful enlargement and remodel by John Gaw Meem in 1930 and 1950. (Pre-Meem structure is in stone.) National Register of Historic Places.
Methodist Episcopalian Church[1][2]Fourth and Coal AvenuesBefore 1904?The 1904 reconstruction is credited to Charles Frederick Whittlesey. National Register of Historic Places.

Other Institutional Commissions

Name AddressBuiltOther Information Image
Albuquerque City Hall[1] [3]Second & Tijeras Avenues1913Shown "as planned" on 1913 Sanborn Insurance Map. Demolished.
Odd Fellows Hall[2]Second Ave. between Silver and Lead Avenues1909Demolished about 1972.
Y.M.C.A. Building[3]NE corner, First & Central Avenues1915Supervising and revising. Demolished 1974.
Albuquerque Morning Journal[2]312 West Gold Avenue1905Addition to building. Image from 1883.
N. T. Armijo Building ("Armijo Block")[1][2]NW corner, Third & Central Avenues1892Probably a remodel over the work of Jesse Wheelock. Cristy had an office here. Demolished 1969.
Barnett Block[1]SW corner, Second & Central AvenuesBefore 1907Demolished.
Kistler-Collister[3] (in the Giomi Building)Second & Central AvenuesAfter 1909Storefront remodel. First storefront in Albuquerque to have curved glass walls on either side of entrance.
Southwest Presbyterian Sanatorium (now Presbyterian Hospital)[2][3]1100 East Central AvenueBefore 1912Demolished in 1967 and replaced by Presbyterian Hospital.
Hazeltine Infirmary[3]Southwest Presbyterian Sanatorium1926Demolished 1973. (Pictured.)
Nurses Home[3]Southwest Presbyterian Sanatorium1929
Maytag Laboratory[3][11]168 Oak Street (Presbyterian Hospital Campus)1930Cristy supervising under Sutton & Routt. Extant and in use as of 2026, but compromised.
Bank of Magdalena[2]First and Main Streets, Magdalena, New Mexico1908-12National Register of Historic Places.
Belen Bank[2]114 Becker Avenue, Belen, New MexicoMay 1909 - 1912No image.
Holbrook Bank [2]19 or 21 Central Ave., Holbrook, ArizonaBefore 1912See Sanborn Insurance Map, 1910, 1916.No image.
First National Bank[1][2]Second and GoldBefore 1912.Not the existing structure at Central and Second from 1923. Remodel.No image.

Residential Commissions

Name AddressBuiltOther Information Image
W. J. Marsh House301 South Edithc.1895Contributing property in Huning Highlands.
David Ross Boyd House[3]123 South High St.c.1895Contributing property in Huning Highlands.
Dr. James Wroth House[3]508 West Copper1895Demolished.No image.
Edward Buxton Cristy House.[3] [11]201 South Walter1896-7Cristy's self-designed home. Contributing property in Huning Highlands.
House at 216 South Broadway[12][13]216 South Broadway1901Built for Fred W. Fisher. Extant and in use as of 2026.
House at 608 South Arno[12]608 South Arno1901Extant and in use as of 2026, but compromised. Photograph from 1975.
Lulu Hopping House[12]737 South Edith1901National Register of Historic Places.
William R. Whitney House[3]302 South Walter1907Contributing Property in Huning Highlands.
Charles A. Bottger House110 San Felipe NW1912National Register of Historic Places.
Robert E. Putney House1101/1105 West Central Ave.c. 1913Demolished.
"Court" Quickel House[3]810 Park Avenue SW1902-08Demolished 1965. "Court" likely refers to Cortez, a.k.a Cort: Cortez Swartz Quickel, 1887-1928.
House at 215 South Fourteenth[3]Given as "214" in Pratt,[3] but see Sanborn Maps and Estelle Cristy's death certificate.1919The later Cristy home. Frame house built for $3,000. (Bldg permit #1726) Demolished.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Anderson, George B. (1907). History of New Mexico: Its resources and people, Volume 2. Pacifiic States Publishing Co. p. 558.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Edward Buxton Cristy, a leading architect, designer of University of New Mexico buildings". Albuquerque Morning Journal. February 25, 1912. p. 5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Pratt, Boyd C. (1988). Directory of Historic New Mexico Architects. Center for Southwest Research, UNM.: unpublished.
  4. 1 2 "Columbia's graduates: The one-hundred-thirty-seventh commencement". New York Tribune. June 11, 1891.
  5. ↑ 137th Annual Commencement of Columbia College in the City of New York. Columbia College. June 10, 1891. p. 30.
  6. ↑ "Territorial Topics". Las Vegas Optic. July 24, 1896. p. 5.
  7. ↑ Lamar, Howard Roberts (2000). The Far Southwest, 1846-1912: a territorial history (Revised ed.). Albuquerque (N.M.): University of New Mexico press. ISBN 0-8263-2248-4.
  8. ↑ Flint, Richard; Flint, Shirley Cushing (2021). Overhaul: a social history of the Albuquerque locomotive repair shops. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-6249-0.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Terry Gugliotta (December 2006). "Campus Heritage Preservation Survey, University of New Mexico" (PDF). Albuquerque, NM: The University of New Mexico.
  10. ↑ Albuquerque Evening Citizen (September 14, 1907). "Personal Paragraphs". p. 8.
  11. 1 2 3 Dewitt, Susan (1978). Historic Albuquerque Today (PDF). Historic Landmarks Survey of Albuquerque.
  12. 1 2 3 "Albuquerque Improvements". Albuquerque Daily Citizen. January 18, 1902. p. 3.
  13. ↑ "Pretty Marriage". The Albuquerque Tribune. March 31, 1902. p. 1.
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