Alexander Girard in New Mexico

In this talk Rachel Preston Prinz discusses mid-century modern architect and designer Alexander Girard’s work in New Mexico, and beyond. Girard arrived in Santa Fe in 1953. He has four major works in the state: a mural at the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, an incomplete mural at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, the interior rehabilitation of The Compound Restaurant on Canyon Road, and the interiors of the Museum of International Folk Art. Rachel has documented these projects, along with the restoration plans of the murals. In this talk, she will share some of what she learned through her research, including some of the “forgotten” connections in Girard’s work here.

Rachel Preston Prinz is an architectural storyteller in Santa Fe, who uses her training in architecture, preservation, filmmaking, and marketing to celebrate and save historic buildings, and teach the 98% of people who cannot afford an architect how to harness design to improve their lives. Rachel has documented more than 600 historic buildings across New Mexico, as well as produced two documentaries about the architecture of Acoma and Bandelier. Rachel regularly writes, teaches, and speaks about New Mexico’s regional architecture, and our thousand-year tradition of sustainable design. She is the author of Hacking the Earthship and The Spirit Seekers Guide to New Mexico Architecture (releasing fall, 2021).

This lecture was recorded on April 21, 2021 and supported in part by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New Mexico Humanities Council.