Built in 1881, the McKenzie-Irvine House is an unusual example of a vernacular, Gothic Revival, gabled, metal-roofed house in Santa Fe. In poor health and seeking a moderate climate, Scottish-born immigrant and Civil War veteran Alexander G. Irvine came to Santa Fe from Peoria, Illinois, in 1873. Trained as a tinsmith, Irvine set up a hardware business with William A. McKenzie, also of Peoria, called Irvine and McKenzie. They sold copper, tin, and sheet iron wares, nails, and cookstoves. The firm also sold tin roofs and provided roofing for the Johnson commercial block off the Santa Fe Plaza and for the east end of the Palace of the Governors, at the time containing the legislative chambers and Territorial Library. Over a century later, local preservationists saved the home from demolition, and it now operates as professional office space and a bed-and-breakfast.
From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.
