In 2013, Aracely ‘Arcie’ Chapa filmed a documentary about the history of the University of New Mexico’s primary library. Twelve years later, I wanted to revisit this somewhat unknown but deeply heartfelt, fascinating 30-minute documentary.
The original UNM library existed on the first floor of Hodgins Hall, but the need for books and space quickly outgrew the area. In 1926, a smaller library building was built, but the University quickly outgrew that as well. Zimmerman, which would be UNM’s first proper library, had its groundbreaking in 1938, and it remains as UNM’s largest and center-most library.
In 1904, 34 years before Zimmerman was built, then-University President William Tight redid Hodgins Hall in the Spanish Pueblo Revival architectural style, taking the opportunity to redesign the building after the roof became unstable. Hodgins had originally been built in the Grecian style that dominates college architecture in the eastern parts of the United States. Tight, however, felt that style did not reflect UNM. He received pushback, and it wouldn’t be until the 1930s that his architectural dream for UNM would be realized.
In 1933, UNM used the funds it received from Theodore Roosevelt’s New Deal to hire John Gaw Meem — an expert in the Spanish Pueblo style — as campus architect and begin work on three new buildings: Scholes Hall, the Student Union Building and Zimmerman Library.
Meem was born in Brazil, educated in Virginia and lived in New York until he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Like many diagnosed with tuberculosis did, he moved to New Mexico.
Meem sought to make Zimmerman Library New Mexican, inside and out, taking inspiration from the area's cultural history and natural resources. Some of the divots in the exterior wall of Zimmerman are deliberate, having been created by gently pummeling the walls to create texture and softness. The interior of the building is full of intricate, too-easily ignored carvings, many of which were made by indigenous students and craftsmen.
“In the era of valuing engineering, there’s so much of this building that simply wouldn’t be permitted,” Andrew Connors, curator of art at the Albuquerque Museum said in the documentary. “The budget would be squeezed out at the last minute.”
The documentary also touched on the “Three Peoples” mural, which was removed because of its somewhat racist undertones creating a hostile study environment.
Interestingly, University leaders and scholars in the 2013 documentary advocated for the mural’s continued display, despite the already brewing controversy seven years before its removal. They cited an importance of confronting the more painful parts of New Mexico’s history, as well as celebrating the good. That includes the treatment of indigenous and Hispanic people by white people, which the murals depicted. Nevertheless, the murals were removed in 2020.
Things have changed further for Zimmerman since the documentary was made. Most recently, the University added Nap Pods to Zimmerman to allow students to rest. The library celebrated the pods’ ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 15.
For new students coming to UNM and seeking to learn more about their campus, I highly recommend the documentary. It’s almost like a little teaser trailer for the architecture and culture of the university that’s now yours.
However, I recommend the documentary even more strongly to students who have been here for a while. It’s easy to get bitter after years and years of walking in and out of the same buildings day after day and week after week. Reconnecting with the history of the University, however, can spark new appreciation for how all of this got here. Zimmerman Library is not just a place to cram for finals and get frustrated with slow wifi — it’s a part of the history of New Mexico.
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Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
