When
Sunnie and Hart first visited the 10-acre site, they both reacted
emotionally to the land and the "pile of boulders," which
in reality are massive formations of Precambrian granite. Some of
the boulders measusre four stories high.
Although the boulders were the centerpieces of the land, the Empies
had not considered building there.
After
seeing another ad, this one featuring New Mexican architect
Charles F. Johnson's work, the Empies decided to go to Santa Fe
to view several of his homes. They were drawn to Johnson's use of
natural materials and his environmental sensitivity. After Johnson
visited the site and talked with the Empies, he decided their home
should be nestled among the huge boulders themselves. The Empies
and Johnson signed a contract in 1978, and the dream was about to
become reality.
As
with
most construction projects, the Boulder House took longer to build
and the expense was greater than planned. During the building process,
many adjustments were made. Since the house is nestled within the
boulders (60 percent of the natural weathered granite boulders serve
as the home's walls), local and natural materials were used in the
construction, including adobe, pine and fir vigas; the floors are
poured concrete.
A
few months after the Empies moved in, a new aspect of
the house was revealed when a shaft of sunlight shining through
a glass-covered fissure traveled across the floor to the boulder
on the far wall and, as the spring equinox approached, began to
pierce the center of a 30-inch spiral petroglph on that wall. This
event was only the beginning of the discoveries the Empies were
to find linking the boulders to the Paleo-Indian inhabitants of
the area.
On
August 31, 1998, 20 years after the first petroglyph
was discovered and after years of research by the Empies and professional
archaeologists, the Boulder House was placed on the National Register
of Historic Places.
This
book is a journal of both the amazing historical and
spiritual significance of the site and the creation of a totally
unique home. The 150 color photographs, taken over a span of 25
years, portray the flora and fauna of the area as well as record
the building process. The text by Sunnie Empie details the journey
of discovery and reveals her extensive research into the history
of the site and the people who visited there. This book, not unlike
the house itself, is obviously a labor of love.
Leslie
Doran
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