Southwestern Ornamentation and Design

John Gaw Meem was one of New Mexico’s most renowned architects and his legacy is in part his contribution to the preservation and renewal of historic American Southwestern architecture. Because of his interest in the preservation, restoration and revival of this architecture, one of his major contributions was the design of a group of Spanish Pueblo Style buildings at the University of New Mexico. Today, Meem’s Zimmerman Library remains a centerpiece for his designs on the campus. The archives of the Meem Room in the library contain a wealth of drawings done by Meem and this book lauds Meem’s substantial use of crafted ornamentation and details such as gates, doors, corbels, fireplaces, metal work and light fixtures, and shows his sensitivity to the cultural environment he in turn contributed so much to as an example for homeowners, builders, and designers everywhere.