FRIENDS OF HISTORY MEMBER EVENT: TOUR AND LUNCH AT THE HISTORIC ACEQUIA MADRE HOUSE IN SANTA FE

Join Friends of History on Saturday March 4 for a private tour and lunch at the home of three generations of remarkable women who made significant intellectual, cultural, and financial contributions to Santa Fe across the 20^th century.  Surprisingly, many Santa Fe residents are unaware of this historic gem nestled in the heart of town.

The matriarch, Eva Scott Fényes, was an accomplished businesswoman and artist.  Daughter Leonora Curtin was a recognized botanist and linguistic scholar.  Granddaughter Leonora Paloheimo was a philanthropist and, with her husband, Y.E. Paloheimo, the founder of El Rancho de las Golondrinas.

Eva and daughter Leonora first moved to Santa Fe in 1889 and built their first house.  They later built a house in Pasadena and the family divided their time between the two. In the 1920s, the three women decided to build a permanent residence on Acequia Madre Street.

Together, they designed one of the earliest Territorial Revival homes in Santa Fe and filled it with an eclectic assortment of furnishings and art including European, American, Spanish Colonial, and Native American treasures.  The home and its contents remain almost entirely as the family left them, making Acequia Madre House one of the best-preserved historic homes in Santa Fe.

Staff of the Women’s International Study Center, which now owns the house, will lead us through the home and the history of this remarkable family.  We’ll then get a behind-the-scenes look at collections not on display including the archives containing family photographs, correspondence and papers.

We also will have an informal lunch with staff members who will bring out a few special items from the collection and chat with us about the home, its history, and the current activities of the Women’s International Study Center.

Tours will be offered at 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM on Saturday March 4 (choose one) and lunch is served at noon.

Please note that lunch is optional and you may sign up for a tour only, at a reduced price.

The price for a tour with lunch is $45, with a limit of 20 participants.  The price for a tour only is $15, with a limit of 15 participants on each tour.  The fees include a contribution to the Women’s International Study Center.

Friends of History members are encouraged to bring non-member guests at the same ticket prices.