The property of the Böttger Mansion, now our Albuquerque, New Mexico bed and breakfast, can be traced back to the arrival of the Conquistadores in 1706, as part of the land grant to the Manuel Armijo family. A 40-room adobe house was originally constructed on the site, and until 1845 it served as the residence of the territorial governor when he was in New Mexico when it was a territory of Mexico.

Charles Böttger was a wealthy German merchant who made his fortune in wool in New Jersey and moved to the Rio Grande valley in the 1890’s. He worked for Tom Post, who owned the Sunnyside Tavern. The tavern was located across the street on land, which is now the Plaza Vieja parking lot. After the death of Tom Post, Böttger married Mr. Post’s widow, Michaela, and acquired the Böttger property, which at that time extended from approximately South Plaza Street south to Central Avenue and San Pasquale Street west to Romero Street. In approximately 1908 the adobe house was demolished to make way for the new Böttger Mansion.

Charles Böttger was a very innovative thinker and wanted his new home to contain the most modern conveniences. Designed by local architect Edward Cristy in the American Foursquare style popular when New Mexico was still a U.S. territory, it was the first residence in Albuquerque to have gas lighting, and the original gas pipes are still hidden inside the ceilings. There were speaking tubes to all the rooms, pressed-tin ceilings in the three main rooms, and a dumb waiter carried meals to the upper floor. The Böttger Mansion is one of very few homes in Albuquerque to have a basement. You will note that there is only one fireplace in the entire Mansion, located in the parlor. Both the coal-fired central heater and the coal cellar were located in the basement. When it was built, the Böttger Mansion was called the “Pride of Old Town.” In the mid-1930’s, a Böttger grandson painted a mural of New Mexico mountains around the upper wall of the Linda Lee room. Charles Böttger was the first man to purchase an automobile in Albuquerque and convinced other property owners to donate land for the creation of San Felipe Street.

As the Böttger family fortunes declined, Michaela began to take in boarders for additional income. In the 1940's, the FBI's Most Wanted criminal, Machine Gun Kelly, was being hunted by lawmen everywhere. Kelly, his girlfriend and his gang were headed back to Memphis from California and checked into the Böttger under assumed names. They had dyed their hair and purchased new clothes to help conceal their identities. After several days, the owners became suspicious when they noticed that the group always sent a neighborhood boy out to purchase the meals and bring them back to the Böttger for consumption in the rooms. They decided to notify the police, but were overheard by one of the gang members. They quickly left just ahead of the law. However, they were captured shortly thereafter and imprisoned. In 1955, a young Elvis Presley, along with Bill Black and Scotty Moore, performed two shows in Albuquerque and stayed at the Böttger, leaving the next day for a show in Amarillo. In the late 50's, a prominent Italian family rented the Böttger for a large wedding. Frank Sinatra was a guest and performed in the courtyard after the wedding dinner was served. Janis Joplin stayed here in the 1960’s.

Pieces of the Böttger property were gradually sold off, and the family donated the land for the San Felipe School just to the north. In approximately 1970, amid a family dispute relating to inheritance of the property, the Böttger Mansion remained vacant for several years and then was sold outside the family. Over the years the open front portal was closed in and the house became an art gallery, restaurant, beauty parlor, and several other business ventures. It became a bed and breakfast around 1989.

The 1910 Böttger Mansion is one of only a few Victorian style homes built in Albuquerque and remains virtually in its original form, one of the few properties in the area to escape a Pueblo Revival renovation. Located on Historic Route 66, the Böttger Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only accommodation in the Old Town Historic District. Read more about the history of Old Town here.