Three-story log-and-stone Norwegian Vernacular residence built in 1903 by AT&SF Railway architect Charles Frederick Whittlesey, now a private membership club — exterior viewable from Highland Park Circle, with 'Mrs. M' lore inside.
201 Highland Park Circle SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Age
21+
Cost
$$
Private membership club; access typically requires a member sponsor or attendance at ticketed events.
Access
Limited Access
Three-story log and stone residence with multiple staircases; not ADA-compliant.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1903 · Built 1903 by AT&SF Railway architect Charles Frederick Whittlesey · Three-story log-and-stone Norwegian Vernacular construction · Originally 'Bungalow Barracks' for railway office staff · New Mexico State Register (1975); National Register (1978); Albuquerque landmark (1979) · Albuquerque Press Club property since 1973
Whittlesey House at 201 Highland Park Circle SE was built in 1903 by Charles Frederick Whittlesey, an architect for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The three-story building was constructed in a Norwegian Vernacular style unusual for New Mexico, with rough pine log walls (the bark left on) and stone elements. The Albuquerque Journal in 1903 wrote: 'There are no smooth boards in the place. It is all rough pine logs with the bark on.' The structure was originally called the 'Bungalow Barracks,' designed as a communal residence for the office staff Whittlesey supervised.
Whittlesey lived in the house briefly with his family before selling it by 1908. From 1920 to 1960 the property was owned by socialite Clifford Hall McCallum, who hosted prominent visitors. The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity purchased it in 1960, and the Albuquerque Press Club acquired the property in 1973 and converted it to a private membership club.
The building was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1975, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Huning Highlands Historic District in 1978, and designated an Albuquerque city landmark in 1979.
Sources
According to Legends of America's Albuquerque ghosts coverage, the Whittlesey House is associated with the apparition known as 'Mrs. M,' a woman in a black shawl who has materialized to numerous visitors over the decades since the Albuquerque Press Club took ownership in 1973. The identity behind 'Mrs. M' is not specified in the available sources.
Additional reports include the sound of high heels walking across the bar and lobby areas, the upstairs piano playing on its own, and unexplained voices in unoccupied rooms. Because the building is now a private membership club, public verification of these reports is limited and most accounts originate with members and ghost-tour literature rather than independent investigators. The Wikipedia entry on Whittlesey House does not mention paranormal activity.
This venue is privately owned and not open to the public — appreciate from the public sidewalk along Highland Park Circle only.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
View the unusual three-story log-and-stone Norwegian Vernacular structure from the public sidewalk along Highland Park Circle in the Huning Highlands Historic District. The building is a private membership club and not open to the public — appreciate from the public sidewalk only.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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