How Old Is This Mysterious Home in New Mexico? Does It Date to the 1700s?
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Offers came in quickly for a home with centuries of history in Santa Fe, NM.
Property records show two dwellings on the land date to at least 1848. Unofficial records reveal that a structure sat on the one-third-acre parcel even earlier. The property listing indicates the original dwelling was built in 1786—more than 125 years before New Mexico became a state.
“We’re a very old city, and many of the properties go back that far,” explains listing agent Clara Dougherty, of Dougherty Real Estate. “It may have just been one or two rooms, but it is very typical of Spanish colonial homes—they add on to them. If you have another child or need another room, you go ahead and add another room.”
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Now on the market for $1,595,000, the sprawling three-bedroom home measures 3,133 square feet. And the buyer should be prepared to put in some work.
“Like a lot of those older houses, it probably needs an updated kitchen and bathrooms,” Dougherty says. “Probably some electrical, some plumbing, new stucco, maybe some new windows.”
But there are priceless elements within the old home. Historical character is evident in the seven fireplaces, kivas, hand-hewn vigas, arched doorways, hand-painted or carved wooden doors, and the adobe and plaster walls. The appeal is apparent from the moment you enter.
“It’s a compound,” Dougherty says. “You walk in a courtyard gate, and there’s a large area for gardens. It’s extremely charming.”
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A large kitchen has doorways from the sunroom and leads into the dining room and other living spaces.
Dougherty explains that it’s tricky to determine how each room might originally have been used, since the home has seen so many additions and reconfigurations in its seeming 236 years.
A 742-square-foot guest suite features a living room, a bedroom with a kiva, a bathroom, and a kitchen.
The same family has owned the property for more than 50 years. They bought three adjoining lots and melded what were once two separate homes. Nobody has lived in the house full time for a few years, but there have been family caretakers overseeing the property.
The owners “absolutely loved it, and they were here when Santa Fe was much smaller than it is today,” Dougherty says.
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Dougherty estimates it will take “hundreds of thousands” of dollars to update the property and bring it into the 21st century.
Within days, three offers came in from hopeful buyers looking for a project. And a project it will be.
“There was a big desire for the property, because it sits on a very large lot in an area that doesn’t have large lots,” she says. “It’s in a magnificent area. Many people want to be in the historic Eastside. You can walk to galleries; you can walk to restaurants.”
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