Members of the Lobo community pass Hodgin Hall on the campus of The University of New Mexico every day. But what many of those people might not know is that at one time the stately building standing on the southwest corner of the main campus was THE University of New Mexico. All of it — administration, faculty and staff offices, library, labs, and classrooms, the whole university — in one building.
Over the years, Hodgin Hall has changed names to reflect its purpose. Until 1898 it was known as the University Building, then the Main Building until 1900, and administration building from 1900 until 1936, before becoming Hodgin Hall in 1936, named after public education champion and member of the first graduating class of 1894 Charles C. Hodgin.
Nowadays, the Hodgin Hall houses the UNM Alumni Relations Office and Alumni Association. It’s also a treasure trove of UNM history, art, and memorabilia, and alumni relations officer and building manager Raymond Armijo is the de facto building historian and tour guide.
Armijo is the second person in his family to work in the building. His grandmother Condrada Armijo was part of the custodial staff there in the 1930s.
“She called it ‘the U,’” he recalled.
The University of New Mexico was created by an act of the Territorial Legislature in 1889. Three years later, the university’s first building opened on top of a mesa with 108 students enrolled in pre-college prep and teacher training. The Richardson Romanesque-style building was of red brick with a high-pitched roof and rows of arched windows on the upper floors.
The huge roof caused the walls to start bulging outward, so in 1908 the building was remodeled into a Pueblo style, more in keeping with its New Mexico and Southwest origins, Armijo explained. The pitched roof was replaced with a viga-supported flat roof, the brick was covered with stucco, and a viga-topped portal was added to the east entrance.
Parts of the old construction are still visible. In the library, the original arched windows are still visible behind the more angular Pueblo façade, he pointed out. An old coal fireplace sits just outside the board room. The 1908 safe, which once held student records, is now a storage room.
In the serene library, which now contains books written by UNM alumni, Armijo pointed out a chute that was to be used in case of fire to carry the books to safety outside.
On the bottom floor of Hodgin Hall is a “truth window” through which the original sandstone foundation can be seen. In the hole is a time capsule first planted by the Class of 1908. Capsule contents include a class pennant, an edition of the UNM Weekly newspaper, a Mirage yearbook, 1905 UNM songbook, a commencement schedule and invitation, and a handwritten letter detailing the time capsule burial. In 2011, after a much-needed renovation, the 1908 time capsule was opened and a new time capsule to be opened in 2111 buried.
The building is furnished with historic pieces, some that evoke the actual people that campus buildings are named after: a shoe that belonged to former UNM President Thomas Popejoy that kicked a game-winning goal in 1924, as well as his desk constructed in the 1930s by Public Works Administration Project (WPA) craftsmen, and a desk where former UNM President James Zimmerman sat. Just outside the Letterman’s Lounge, which is comfortably furnished in southwestern style, including a traditional trastero and pierced brass lamps, sits a full collection of Mirage yearbooks in glass cases.
On the first floor is a portrait of another president, George Washington, painted more than 200 years ago by American artist Gilbert Stuart, the same familiar picture used on the one-dollar bill, Armijo said.
Hodgin Hall is also a museum of art that has been collected over the years, much of it gifted to the alumni association. The collection includes work by former UNM educator Raymond Jonson, UNM alum Angus McPherson, Corrales artist B.C. Nowlin, Santa Fe artist Fremont Ellis, western artist Charlie Dye, and Austrian-born contemporary artist John Tatschl. A collection of Native American pieces is also scattered throughout the building, including a massive Navajo rug in the top floor meeting room known as the Bobo Room.
Outside, the original tin U placed on the roof and lit with electric lightbulbs, which were a challenge to change when the burned out, was replaced in 2012 with a cast bronze U that sits in front of the main entrance and is now lit up in different colors for different occasions. The giant U is a favorite location for graduation photos, when students pose in their commencement regalia as professional photographers and proud family member snap pictures with phones and cameras. Lobo sculptures stand both in front of the building and behind it in Tight Grove, an arboretum of native trees that stretches to historic Route 66 that borders the southern edge of the campus.
"Working in Hodgin Hall is like stepping into a living piece of history every day. The building exudes the charm and legacy of The University of New Mexico's past, while still being a hub of activity. It's inspiring to be surrounded by the architecture and stories that have shaped the University,” said Associate Director of Alumni Relations Katie Varoz Williams.
More than 130 years after its start as the whole university, Hodgin Hall is now. One of more than 100 buildings on campus. It’s a central gathering point for alumni engagement, hosting student events and meetings, ensuring that it continues to play an active role in university life and serving as a welcoming space for all members of the UNM community.
"Alumni and visitors are always captivated by Hodgin Hall — many alums didn’t know about the building until after they graduated,” Varoz Williams said. “They’re drawn to its history, beautiful artwork, and special spaces filled with antique furniture and 135 years’ worth of university memorabilia and photographs. The building is a bridge between the past and present, and it sparks nostalgia and pride."
Come and see Hodgin Hall
Self-guided walking tours are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A brochure detailing the highlights of Hodgin Hall is available at the front desk for reference and also online.
Personalized and group tours are available by appointment only. Contact the Alumni Relations Office at 505-277-5808 for details.
