Historic Adobe Houses of the United States — Adobe House Atlas
Skip to content A field catalog<br>Every historic adobe house in America, in one place.
A reference work for the hand-formed adobe houses of the American Southwest — their<br>histories, their architecture, and how to find them.
Orientation Where adobe houses are found
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Plate I · Distribution N<br>222 entries · 10 states · 4 architectural styles
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Selected entries Notable adobe houses
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Twelve of the most significant documented properties — from the oldest continuously<br>occupied adobe building in the country to the great inhabited Pueblo communities of New<br>Mexico.
NHL Palace of the Governors<br>Santa Fe,<br>NM<br>· Built 1610
WHS Taos Pueblo<br>Taos,<br>NM<br>· Built c.1000
NHL San Esteban del Rey Mission<br>Acoma,<br>NM<br>· Built 1629
NHL Mission San Xavier del Bac<br>Pima County,<br>AZ<br>· Built 1797
NHL San Francisco de Asís Mission Church<br>Ranchos de Taos,<br>NM<br>· Built 1816
NHL Alamo, The<br>San Antonio,<br>TX<br>· Built 1744
NHL El Santuario de Chimayó<br>Chimayó,<br>NM<br>· Built 1816
NHL San José de Gracia Church<br>Las Trampas,<br>NM<br>· Built 1760
NHL Carson, Kit, House<br>Taos,<br>NM<br>· Built 1825
NHL Luhan, Mabel Dodge, House<br>Taos,<br>NM<br>· Built c.1900
NRHP Adamson House<br>Malibu,<br>CA<br>· Built 1929
NHL Casa del Herrero<br>Santa Barbara,<br>CA<br>· Built 1925
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By region Browse adobe houses by state
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The adobe tradition took root wherever Spanish and Pueblo building met an arid climate.<br>5 states hold the deepest coverage in the Atlas; 5 smaller<br>catalogues round out the regional record.
California<br>111 entries<br>Monterey Colonial and the rancho adobes of the Spanish and Mexican eras — the country's largest adobe catalogue.<br>6 in Los Angeles County<br>Explore →
New Mexico<br>60 entries<br>The deepest adobe landscape in the country — Santa Fe, Taos, and the Pueblos of the Sangre de Cristos.<br>13 in Albuquerque<br>Explore →
Arizona<br>21 entries<br>Sonoran row houses and presidio adobe in Tucson and the southern desert, with Pueblo Revival on the Colorado Plateau.<br>3 in Phoenix<br>Explore →
Colorado<br>16 entries<br>San Luis Valley plazas and the trading posts of the upper Arkansas — the northern edge of the adobe country.<br>4 in Pueblo<br>Explore →
Nevada<br>5 entries<br>Mining-era adobe roadhouses on the eastern slope of the Sierra and the Tonopah district.<br>2 in Tonopah<br>Explore →
5 more states with adobe entries Texas 4Kansas 2District of Columbia 1Florida 1Utah 1
By tradition Browse by architectural style
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Four building traditions account for nearly every adobe house in the United States. Each<br>field guide explains how to tell them apart.
Pueblo Revival<br>c.1900 – present
The early-20th-century revival of Pueblo and Spanish forms that gave Santa Fe its<br>now-protected look — soft, battered walls and projecting beams.
Rounded, battered adobe walls
Projecting vigas and stepped parapets
Flat roofs with canales<br>Read the field guide → Spanish Colonial<br>1600s – 1840s
The original colonial-era adobe of the Spanish and Mexican periods, built low around<br>courtyards with a long covered portal.
Single-story rooms around a placita<br>Covered portal on hand-hewn posts<br>Thick walls, few exterior windows<br>Read the field guide → Territorial<br>1846 – 1912
Adobe meeting American milled lumber after 1846 — brick coping, white-painted window<br>trim, and Greek Revival detail on an earthen body.
Fired-brick coping along parapets<br>Squared, pedimented window trim<br>Milled wood porch posts<br>Read the field guide → Modern Adobe<br>1970s – present
Contemporary earthen building — stabilized and reinforced adobe, passive-solar<br>siting, and code-compliant walls that keep the material alive.
Stabilized or reinforced adobe brick<br>Concrete bond beams and footings<br>Passive-solar orientation<br>Read the field guide →
Common questions Frequently asked questions
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Short answers to the questions we hear most about adobe houses — how they last, how<br>they're built, and how to care for them.
How long do adobe houses last?
Well-maintained adobe houses routinely last 200 years or more; several in this catalog<br>exceed 400. The key is keeping the protective plaster intact and water moving away from<br>the walls.
Are adobe houses waterproof?
Adobe is not waterproof; it sheds water through plaster, wide eaves, and canales rather<br>than resisting it. Good detailing and regular re-plastering are what keep an earthen<br>wall sound.
Can adobe houses survive earthquakes?
Unreinforced adobe is vulnerable, though modern bond beams, steel reinforcement, and<br>proper footings make new adobe construction far safer in seismic zones.
What is a kiva fireplace?
A rounded, corner-built adobe hearth named for the ceremonial rooms of the Pueblo<br>peoples — a defining interior feature of Pueblo Revival and Spanish Colonial homes.
Adobe vs. cob: what is the difference?
Adobe is formed into dried bricks before building; cob is piled wet and shaped in<br>place. Both are earthen, but...