Don Gaspar Historic District, Historic district near State Capitol in Santa Fe, United States.
The Don Gaspar Historic District is a residential neighborhood in Santa Fe with hundreds of buildings constructed primarily from adobe. The streets run in a typical grid pattern and connect older and newer homes within a spatially organized area.
The district is named for Don Gaspar Ortiz y Alarid, a merchant who ran wagon trains between Santa Fe and Chihuahua and later traded in Saint Louis. He donated the land around present-day Don Gaspar Avenue, though how he obtained the land grant is unclear. The area was subdivided in the late 19th century and largely built up in the early 20th century, with 278 contributing buildings listed on the National Register in 1983.
The district's name honours Don Gaspar Ortiz y Alarid, a merchant who ran wagon trains between Santa Fe and Chihuahua and later traded in Saint Louis; he donated the land around today's Don Gaspar Avenue. The houses show Pueblo Revival, California Bungalow and late Victorian styles side by side, and some walls incorporate "pen tile" made by inmates of the New Mexico Penitentiary, once sited in the district's southwestern corner.
The district runs south from the State Capitol, bounded by Paseo de Peralta to the north, the Old Santa Fe Trail to the east, Houghton Street to the south and Don Cubero to the west. Don Gaspar Avenue and Galisteo Street cross it north–south, so a walk along these two streets covers most of the 278 contributing buildings.
Many buildings in the area used roof tiles manufactured by inmates at the New Mexico State Penitentiary. These so-called pen tiles can still be seen on many older homes today and tell an unusual story of local craftsmanship.
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