[Vernacular Photograph Album Documenting Construction of Person Station, an Albuquerque Power Plant]

Albuquerque, 1952. Very good.. Thirty-six leaves, illustrated with 133 black-and-white photographs between 2.75 x 3.75 inches and 3.25 x 5 inches, all in corner mounts, plus seven loose photographs laid in. Oblong folio. Contemporary red leatherette with inset design on front cover, string tied. Minor edge wear, corners bumped, front cover detached but present. Photos in excellent condition. A unique collection of vernacular photographs memorializing the construction of Person Station, designed and built by Howard Person. The power plant was built as a semi-outdoor 70,000 kilowatt power station in Albuquerque in the early 1950s. The present collection of photographs document the construction from the excavation and grading of the site, the laying of the foundation, and through the installation of the turbine generator. The images also capture the laying of the water lines, construction of internal framing, installation of the evaporators and heater, as well as featuring both exterior and interior shots of the plant, sometimes with workers in the midst of their duties. One image even captures the sign over the front door, presented in midcentury American script and reading, "Person Station." A contemporary article on the power station, removed from the February 1953 issue of Professional Engineer magazine, is laid in, providing informative background on Person Station. The article also includes a long biographical passage on Howard Person himself. At the time of the construction of Person Station, Howard Person was vice president and chief engineer of New Mexico Public Service Company. An informative collection of vernacular images featuring construction of a midcentury power plant in the American West.