On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
UncleEbeneezer
One of the coolest cultural explorations we did on our trip was to visit the Taos Art Museum which is located in the Fechin House, a very cool place that my wife had been dying to check out:
The Nicolai Fechin House in Taos, New Mexico, is the historic home of the Russian artist Nicolai Fechin, his wife Alexandra and daughter Eya. After purchasing the house in 1928, he spent several years enlarging and modifying the two-story adobe structure, for instance, enlarging the porch and adding and widening windows to take advantage of the views. He carved many of the fittings of the house and its furniture, using typical Russian design elements such as “triptych windows and intricately carved doors.”[2] The whole reflects a modernist sensibility combined with Russian, Native American and Spanish traditions.
The Fechins divorced in 1933, after which Alexandra stayed at the house until her death in 1983. Eya returned to Taos in the 1970s and began restoration of the house. She opened it to visitors beginning in 1981, under the auspices of the Fechin Institute, which she founded in her father’s memory.[2]
The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1979. After Eya Fechin’s death in 2002, the house passed to her daughter and son-in-law. They sold it to a foundation, which established the house museum and the Taos Art Museum.[2]
The Fechin House has some really neat art inside, but the main attraction (for us) was the architecture and stunning woodwork.
Here you can see the wonderful spiral staircase with the fireplace in the background.
The windows in this house are absolutely stunning!
I can’t remember whose room this was, but what incredible windows and view.
The Fechin House also has several Navajo “Child’s Blankets” adorning its’ walls. These textiles are extremely sought after and according to one of the museum placards we really don’t know if they were actually used for children or small horses, despite the name.
100% Taos County is a lovely mural in downtown Taos that was brought to life by the Paseo Project and painted by the artist, Lynette Haozous. It is one of (or possibly) the only piece of public artwork in Taos, by an Indigenous artist:
Haozous is “an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe (Chiricahua Apache), and is part Diné, and Taos Pueblo. Haozous is a multi-media artist, currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She grew up living on all three of her tribal nations, learning a unique blend of Indigenous perspectives, intersectionalities, traditions, and experiences. She works in paintings, murals, installations, digital illustrations, screen-printing, and community art workshops.”
Horses from the “100% Taos County” mural.
We wanted to visit the Blumenschein House but unfortunately it was closed the day we went by:
The Blumenschein House is located on the south side of Ledoux Street, 1-1/2 blocks south of central plaza in Taos. It is a single-story adobe structure, with eleven rooms, built in the Spanish Pueblo style with a central courtyard. A low wall with central opening separate the courtyard from the street. The house’s construction date is uncertain, but its oldest sections probably predate the 1820s. The interior is furnished to appear as it might have been when the Blumenschein family lived there. It features family possessions, a collection of the family’s art, works by other famous Taos artists, and fine European and Spanish Colonial style antiques. The museum is owned and operated by Taos Historic Museums.[3]
Ernest Blumenschein, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was schooled in art in Cincinnati, New York City, and Paris. While in Paris he met Joseph Henry Sharp, who described a visit he made to Taos in 1883. Blumenschein and Bert Phillips traveled to Taos in 1898, where they established the Taos Art Colony. He used this house as a home and studio from 1919 until 1960. The house itself had previously been used as a home and studio by Herbert Dunton, and was already well known as a gathering point for artists. The colony formed by these people was broadly influential in exposing the art world to Taos and the desert southwest.[3] The house remained in the Blumenschein family until 1962, when his heirs donated it to the organization that is now Taos Historic Museums. After a period as a multiunit residence, it was converted into a museum and gallery space.
HinTN
Thanks for this tour of Taos.
Betty
What a lovely place to visit – and celebrate.
Ksmiami
You’re in my backyard… literally, I walk my dog around the Fechin house every week…
OzarkHillbilly
The next time I’m in NM, Taos is definitely on the target list. The Fechin House looks like a visit is in order, same for the Blumenschein House. Speaking of houses to visit, any of you LA denizens ever find yourself w/ an empty day, you should take the time to go see the Sam and Freda Maloof house in Alta Loma. One of these days I am going to make a pilgrimage to there.
I don’t know much about Freda but Sam was something else with wood.
Rster
Those stairs look scary. They look like an invitation to fall down them.
There’s a reason why building codes don’t allow these kinds of stairs any more.
MazeDancer
Lovely photos. Made me miss NM so much.
Quinerly
🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙
Quinerly
@Rster: can I recommend the ladders at Bandelier?😎
eclare
That mural is gorgeous.
Citizen Dave
Great tour! Might be visiting there in May.
UncleEbeneezer
@eclare: Agreed. Our friend’s daughter help out with it (fill in some of the color, iirc) when it was being painted.
UncleEbeneezer
@OzarkHillbilly: Oh cool. I had no idea there was anything of interest in Rancho Cucamonga, lol.
pieceofpeace
Love the inviting look, appearance of the Museum. I hope to visit NM one of these days and would fit in Taos along with indigenous Native American sites and Santa Fe. Your pictures have moved it up my long list of places to visit when time allows… Thank you!
StringOnAStick
Lovely photos; adobe architecture is so organic in form and finishes.
The child’s blanket brings up a recent discovery for me. My folks had two of those from the late 1800’s- early 1900’s, discovered by my great grandfather when he was converting a ranch house into a CCC site in AZ; they had been used as carpet padding. I looked for them recently, and discovered my racist mother had thrown them in the trash; she hated anything not white culture.
Yutsano
I love all the art, especially the horse mural, but those windows! They’re absolutely singular. Should I ever buy a house (in Seattle on my current salary nahgunnahappen) I wonder if I can get windows like that installed.
louc
Another place to check out while you’re there is the Mabel Dodge Luhan House. My friend and I stayed in the Georgia O’Keeffe Room. My dream is to go back with the DH and stay in the solarium.
UncleEbeneezer
@pieceofpeace: Definitely worth including Taos Pueblo in your Native/Indigenous itinerary. We went there on Christmas Eve for the Procession of the Virgin Mary ceremony and it was really amazing. One nice thing about Taos is that even in the downtown Plaza, which tends to be more touristy and affluent, you still see a decent amount of Puebloan people here and there.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Quinerly: can I recommend the stairs at Hua Shan, China?
https://adventurewithoutend.com/2013/07/27/stepping-up-the-climbing-of-hua-shan/
seriously, love the Taos pictures. I really want to visit there someday.
way2blue
Love the Nicolai Fechin House, love the murals, love the Navajo blanket. Thanks for sharing!
OHJo
Really enjoy your perspective, and the photos! We’re planning a trip there this June, and will definitely include some places you’ve featured; thanks!