The best way to describe Stuart C. Hill is Custom Home Builder. He was a builder and general contractor, not an architect. But his name is associated with beautiful custom houses and offices across the valley. In resale ads and home highlights, you will see “Custom by Stu Hill” or “Stu HIll: General Contractor.” Most of the records we have show him as the contractor fulfilling the design plans of Albuquerque architects. However, a resale ad from May 26th, 1968 for 716 Wagon Train says the house was “Designed by Hill.” So we know he did at least dabble in house design occasionally.

In the late 1950s, you start to see Stu Hill’s name pop up in Albuquerque newspapers. Around this time, he started the Stuart C. Hill Construction Co (occasionally written as Stewart C. Hill Construction Co for some reason). Throughout the 1960s, he and his company built custom-designed houses and office buildings for some of Albuquerque’s upper echelon. In 1965 he built a large office complex for E.M. “Slats” Wilson (one of the Four Hills founders) to house his new corporation. In 1966 Stuart C. Hill Construction Co. crafted the unique stonework home of Ben Abruzzo; famous for piloting the Double Eagle II, the first hot air balloon to cross the Atlantic, and starting the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Ben was also the president of the Sandia Peak Tram Company and Sandia Peak Ski Company. Abruzzo’s house was designed by Max Flatow and constructed by Hill out of natural stone and rough-sawn hemlock.

On top of the homes he built throughout Sandia Heights, Glenwood Hills, and Placitas, Stu has several custom builds right here in Four Hills Village. We know 716 Wagon Train was built in 1965 with a permit pulled for the lot by Charles Reule, another Albuquerque builder, but the resale ad mentioned above attributes the design to Stu Hill. One month later, Charles Reule also applied for a permit to build 800 Wagon Train. Both houses are right next to each other and have similar modernist influences and designs. We have not found any evidence that Stu designed 800 Wagon Train, but it seems highly plausible. It would be interesting if an Albuquerque builder hired a competitor to design the house he was constructing. For now, it is a mystery.

In 1968, there was a Journal Of Home Living highlight of a house at 1125 Cuatro Cerros, with Stu as the contractor, built for the Clems, a family that moved here to work at Sandia Labs. Mr. and Mrs. Clem helped design the house. They went with a shape of two squares intersecting at an angle with each other. This allowed for views of both the Sandias and the West Mesa. It is a flat-roofed ranch-style house with beautiful redwood fencing along the front.

Surviving blueprints from 1963 show Stu Hills' name, confirming he was also the builder of Colonel Freshwater’s custom-designed home at 1005 Warm Sands Dr.

Every home in Four Hills built by Stuart C. Hill Construction Co. is an excellent example of 1960s modernist design. The quality and craftsmanship are impressive, with each residence standing its ground with great pride for over half a century. 

Stu was an accomplished builder. He won Builder of the Year 1971 from the Building Contractors Association and was an executive officer for several organizations. Stu Hill held the second vice president and eventual president seats in 1970 & 1971 for the Albuquerque Homebuilders Assoc. and was the Building Contractors of New Mexico Association president in 1974.

The early seventies was when Hill became involved in politics. From 1972 into the late 1980s, he was a State Representative for the Northeast Heights District. Still the entrepreneur, Stu did all this while running his contracting business. No obituary has surfaced for Stu, so our team does not have info beyond the 80s.

Throughout his life, Stu Hill was a talented and influential character in Albuquerque, NM. Undoubtedly, his industry and the city's landscape were made better by his endless ambition and dedication to his craft. We hope to continue finding information about his work and would love to discover any more homes in Four Hills Village made possible by Stuart C. Hill Construction Co.

--

Four Hills Houses by Stu Hill

• 716 Wagon Train (designer)

• 1125 Cuatro Cerros

• 1521 Sagebrush Trail NE

• 1005 Warm Sands Drive SE

Resources; can be recalled using the ABQ Library Newspaper Archive Library Edition which is free but requires a library card.

May 26, 1968 - Window Shopping in Four Hills?

July 15, 1965 - New Building To Be Erected

January 7, 1968 - High Elevation House Has Rustic Stone, Wood Exterior

July 15, 1965 - Permits Issued For Two Houses

August 5, 1965 - City Permits Issued For Houses

February 18, 1968 - Squares, Angles Are Basis for Contemporary Home

October 11, 1971 - Builder of the Year

September 30, 1972 - Leslie to Assume Top Post In Home Builders Assn

April 2, 1974 - Rep. Hill announces