Rumaldo Baca Building Photo Courtesy of Museum of N.M. # 59364

13. Rumaldo Baca Building

S side National opp. Church

1878-1908

Don Rumaldo built this fantastic building as a hotel in anticipation of the coming railroad locating their depot close to the Plaza. He should have listened to his cousins who owned a great deal of land east of the Gallinas River, because the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad did locate their depot a mile to the east, creating a New Town in East Las Vegas. Hence, many folk labeled Don Rumaldo's hotel "Baca's Folly." This building utilized stone for the foundation and the first floor, adobe bricks for the next two floors, wood frame for the fourth floor and above, being capped by dormer windows and cupola. The Baca family did use the first story as a residence for years, but abandoned the building because of dilapidation.