Roman Mars paints a vibrant picture of Santa Fe, highlighting its distinctive adobe architecture and the efforts to preserve its historical charm. He explores the cultural significance of local dishes like Frito Pie and the impact of gentrification on the city’s authenticity. The podcast also delves into the rich music scene, luxury vibes, and the serene beauty of New Mexico's landscapes. Listeners can discover the inviting Dale Ball Trails and appreciate Santa Fe's unique atmosphere, blending history, culture, and nature.
Santa Fe preserved its unique architectural style through a radical plan in 1912, focusing on traditional Adobe buildings and promoting new constructions in the Santa Fe style.
The creation of a trail network in Santa Fe by Dale Ball and visionary trail designer Mike Wurtz emphasizes accessibility to nature through public trails connecting the national forest to the city.
Deep dives
Preservation of Santa Fe's Traditional Adobe Architecture
Santa Fe adopted a radical plan in 1912 to preserve its unique architectural style, focusing on traditional Adobe buildings and promoting new constructions in the Santa Fe style. This plan aimed to create a citywide architectural brand resulting in the preservation of historic structures like the Palace of the Governors. Architect John Gawmim played a significant role in perpetuating the Santa Fe style with modern materials like reinforced concrete and steel.
The Significance of Adobe Viggers in Santa Fe Architecture
Traditional Adobe architecture in Santa Fe prominently features Viggers, real wood beams used for structural support and attachment to roofs and walls. Due to the limitations of Viggers length, interior rooms were constrained in width, contributing to the human-scale feel of the architecture. Over time, modern buildings incorporated ornamental Viggers for aesthetic purposes, aligning with the city's architectural standards.
Dale Ball Trails: A Legacy of Accessible Nature
Dale Ball, a businessman and avid hiker, spearheaded the creation of a trail network in Santa Fe to make the region's landscapes accessible to everyone. Working with volunteers and donors, the network of public trails over 1150 acres connects the national forest to Santa Fe, highlighting the importance of bringing people closer to nature. Visionary Trail Designer Mike Wurtz carefully crafted the trail system's user-friendly design, ensuring clarity and ease of navigation for hikers.
Irrigation Systems and Community in Santa Fe
The Asakian Madre, a 400-year-old water conduit system in Santa Fe, showcases the vital role of water in the region's culture. Developed by indigenous peoples and Spanish colonizers, these systems reflect ancient irrigation practices that continue to sustain local farms and gardens today. The communal management of Asakias fosters a sense of community and tradition, emphasizing the significance of water in a dry environment like Northern New Mexico.
Roman Mars is on a mission to describe the cities that shaped who he is and how he thinks about design. Next up, Santa Fe.
Santa Fe wasn’t always on the proverbial map — in fact, the Santa Fe railroad just passed it on by. A lot of care has been taken to keep Santa Fe cute and quaint over its history, with steps to preserve native architecture and historical design. The result is a mixture of structures old and new, but mostly made to look old, for better or worse.
Note: This series is made possible by the all-new 2024 Lexus GX and SiriusXM.
Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and get exclusive access to bonus episodes. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode