Est. 1840 · National Register of Historic Places · New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties · Salvador Armijo and Old Town Albuquerque · Five-Generation Armijo Family Ownership
The Salvador Armijo House was built in the 1840s in what is now Albuquerque's Old Town neighborhood by Salvador Armijo (1823–1879), a prosperous merchant and the nephew of Mexican-period Governor Manuel Armijo. The house remained in the Armijo family for five generations and was remodeled or expanded several times, most notably in the 1870s and the early 1900s. During the mid-twentieth century portions of the building were converted into apartments.
The property was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1975 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 1977, Armijo's great-great-granddaughter Frances Wilson sold the house, and it was converted into a restaurant named Maria Teresa after the Spanish silver coin. The Maria Teresa restaurant operated through 2004, when it closed.
After the restaurant closed, the Hotel Albuquerque purchased the property and operated it first as a nightclub called Casa Esencia, then renovated it into a members-only social club, which is its current use.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Armijo_House
- https://www.codypolston.com/casa-esencia-location-history/
- https://www.krqe.com/news/haunting-history-whats-planned-for-one-of-albuquerques-oldest-buildings/
- https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/albuquerque-old-town-ghost-tours/
Voices and noises after hoursSensations of being touchedReports across regional retellings of mirror reflections, moved flatware, and a piano playing on its own during the Maria Teresa era
Staff at the Maria Teresa restaurant — which occupied the Salvador Armijo House from 1977 through its 2004 closure — described voices, unusual noises, and sensations of being touched by unseen presences during after-hours work. These accounts are collected in regional New Mexico ghost-tourism coverage and in cody Polston's history-of-paranormal writing on the Albuquerque area.
Local tradition holds that the building's continuous occupation from the 1840s through the present, layered with Armijo family generations and multiple commercial conversions, makes it one of Old Town Albuquerque's most often-cited haunted addresses. The current Casa Esencia members-only social club does not promote paranormal programming.
Media Appearances
- KRQE News — Haunting history: What's planned for one of Albuquerque's oldest buildings
- Cody Polston — Casa Esencia location history
