This structure was part of St. Michael’s College for Boys, established in 1878 by Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy and the Christian Brothers of the Catholic Church for the education of boys in the region. In 1878, the dormitory was the largest building made from adobe bricks in the United States and the tallest building in Santa Fe, standing three stories and 160 feet high by 30 feet wide. As a tribute to Archbishop Lamy’s French heritage, the dormitory was designed with a French Style mansard roof and tower, both destroyed, along with the third story, by a devastating fire in 1926. The reduced flat-roofed two-story building includes a rare two-story rear portal and Territorial Style details. The building served as the primary structure of St Michael’s College until it moved to its new campus on Siringo Road.
From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.