2.5 miles from the Plaza is another desirable denizen of downtown Santa Fe, Casa Alegre. A residential oasis close to the bustling heart of Santa Fe, Casa Alegre strikes a winning balance between access to the action and serene removal. Although bounded on the south by Cerrillos, one of the city’s major commercial arteries, Casa Alegre is a relatively quiet neighborhood characterized by mature trees and solidly built, older homes. As with Casa Solana, many of the area’s homes were built by Allen Stamm (see profile in the 7/22/09 blogpost) Stamm’s classic, pueblo structures– icons of Santa Fe Style–commonly include vigas, wood floors, nichos, corbels, kiva fireplaces, and portals. Since the original homes in Casa Alegre were often under 1000 square feet, many residents have chosen to convert their garages to bring their home’s square footage more into line with modern tastes.
There are plenty of good restaurants and desirable services in the vicinity. Special mention to the restaurants India House, El Parasol, and The Pantry. The College of Santa Fe’s much loved movie theater, The Screen, is within comfortable walking distance. For more info on area amenities, go to Walkscore.com where you can check out the Casa Alegre Neighborhood’s Walkability Score (72 out of 100) as measured from our current listing at 1837 Kiva (MLS#904396).
The three public schools that serve the area are Salazar Elementary; Milagro Middle School and Santa Fe High School. Frenchy’s Field— a popular walking park–lies opposite the area’s northern border. Ashbaugh Park defines the eastern border and Gregory Lopez Park is tucked at the corner of San Felipe and Hano Rd.