Los Alamos Historical Society Preservation

Los Alamos Historical Society

Historic Property and Preservation

The Los Alamos Historical Society is proud to lead preservation efforts in the traditional historic district of Los Alamos. As owners of the Oppenheimer House and homestead era Romero Cabin, the Historical Society is committed to preserving and maintaining the these unique, historic structures.

Oppenheimer House

Read more about the Oppenheimer House or Master Cottage #2

The buildings in the historic district originally belonged to the Los Alamos Ranch School. After the school closed to make way for the Manhattan Project, a bustling town sprang up around the Master’s Cottages. The new buildings conisisted of unattractive, temporary apartment buildings, Quonset huts and dormitories.

With very few exceptions, new housing in Los Alamos was built with showers but no bathtub. Because of the scarcity of iron during the early phases of the war, Congress had limited the types of bathroom fixtures that could be included in new construction, thus tubs were not permitted. It soon became obvious to all residents that the only persons who could enjoy the luxury of a bath were the families living in the former masters’ cottages. The homes soon became known as "Bathtub Row," an affectionate term still used today.

Romero Cabin

Romero Cabin, before it was moved to the central Los Alamos historic district.

A certain social status went with living in the attractive, well-built houses on Bathtub Row. “In the beginning only the most important persons lived there,” Laura Fermi, wife of Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi wrote. “As the months went by, it became uncertain in envious minds whether Bathtub Row derived its luster from its residents or whether the residents acquired distinction from living in it.” Fermi credits Alice Kimball Smith, the wife of another Manhattan Project scientist, coining the term "Bathtub Row."

The Romero Cabin, relocated to the historic district in the 1980s, recently underwent a restoration thanks to a grant from the National Park Service and assistance from Los Alamos County. The Historical Society is proud play a part in the preservation of this treasure from the early years of the Pajarito Plateau.

The Romero Cabin after its May 2009 restoration. The cabin is adjacent to the Memorial Rose Garden next to Fuller Lodge.

Other friends who are involved in Historic Preservation in New Mexico include the Historical Foundation for Southeast New Mexico in Roswell, the state Historic Preservation Division, and the New Mexico Historic Preservation Alliance.

Keeping Los Alamos History Alive