Glass curtain walls rise thirteen stories above you, marking Albuquerque's first true modernist skyline. Designed by Flatow and Moore and completed in 1954, it was the city’s first large-scale modernist building and is regarded as "Albuquerque’s best example of the International Style". At 180 feet (55 m) and 13 stories, it held the title of tallest in New Mexico until the Bank of New Mexico Building rose across the street in 1961.
Its design looks to the latest trends in modern architecture — especially the Lever House in New York City — with glass curtain walls and a play of vertical and horizontal volumes. Notice how sandstone blocks from the Commercial Club, the previous building on this site, were grafted into the exterior, a literal link between old Albuquerque and the new. The Simms introduced innovations too: an early radiant heating and cooling system with limited solar heating capabilities.
Locally and nationally it drew attention and helped catalyze the modern architecture movement in New Mexico. It was recognized for its importance when it was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1997 and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, only 44 years after completion. Trace the sandstone blocks from the old Commercial Club, still holding their place beside the glass.