Constructed 1830.
The town doctor, T.P. Martin, initially purchased one house from a cluster of old adobes around a small plazuella, anchored by a community well. The original building dates back to the early 1800s and was once owned by Arthur Manby. The doctor and his second wife, Helen, eventually acquired all of these houses and named the complex the Martin Apartments. The doctor and his wife lived in the northern part of the complex and Doc set up his practice in what is now Doc Martin’s Restaurant. One of the sections of the dining room was the operating room. In exchange for his services, Doc was known to accept goats, chickens, or produce as payment.The Martins were involved in the emerging art community. Dr. Martin’s sister, Rose, married artist Bert Phillips, and in the early days of the colony, the Martins rented studio/apartments to visiting artists including Oscar Berninghaus and Ernest Blumenschein.
In 1915, six artists met in the Martin studio occupied by Berninghaus to form the Taos Society of Artists. When Doc Martin died in 1933, Helen took advantage of the increasing flow of visitors to the area and the fact that the major hotel in town had burned down earlier that year. She remodeled the Martin Apartments into the Hotel Martin, adding indoor plumbing, electricity, and steam heat. She also roofed over the enclosed plazuela, creating a vaulted lobby. The well was covered and converted into a fountain. Over the years, the hotel lodged many celebrities, including such notables as Greta Garbo, Thorton Wilder, and Anthony Quinn.
125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte Taos, NM 87571 | 575-758-2233
Photo by Elmo Baca.
