Website design By BotEap.comSanta Fe, New Mexico is home to some of the best examples of Territorial architecture, one of the most well-known building styles of the Old West. Like Pueblo Revival architecture, the Territorial style combines many historic building techniques with modern touches, and its prevalence in Santa Fe has helped make the city a hotspot for Southwestern architecture. For anyone buying or selling property in the Santa Fe area, a general understanding of this attractive and adaptable building style is a must.

Website design By BotEap.comTerritorial architecture can generally be described as a mix between the Pueblo and Victorian building styles. As the name suggests, it developed in the pre-statehood days of the Old West, when this vast region was populated by European and American settlers who brought with them the Victorian traditions of two- and three-store building, but often found that the Village building techniques were more practical. Territorial houses often feature flat wall and roof construction, but with adaptations such as large windows, in contrast to small light portals, which were traditionally used to block out as much heat as possible.

Website design By BotEap.comTerritorial architecture typically includes more exterior wood than Pueblo buildings, especially near window and door frames. Ancient building techniques such as center courtyards and stone-on-stone construction keep these homes cool in the Southwestern heat and have been elegantly updated to fit modern building styles. Many land buildings also include a touch of Art Deco or Art Moderne, shapes that nicely complement the simple aesthetics of the traditional Southwest. While country buildings often follow tradition closely, most new houses in this style use the latest building materials to emulate the elegance of the Old West. Here, smooth stucco is often used instead of thick plaster on exterior walls.

Website design By BotEap.comTerritorial-style homes and buildings can be found throughout the Southwest, but Santa Fe has encouraged this form of construction more than most other cities. The city’s Historic Zoning Ordinance of 1957 brought Territorial and Pueblo architecture into the 20th century, with a requirement that all new buildings in the city be in a traditional style. There is no better place than Santa Fe, New Mexico to see how this remarkable style of construction has developed since the days of the pioneers.