Owners Helene and Jerry Suydam willed the Oppenheimer House at the end of Bathtub Row to the Los Alamos Historical Society, which is preparing it for public view. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

View of the living room in the Oppenheimer House on Bathtub Row. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

The house at the end of Bathtub Row in downtown Los Alamos is a time capsule; nearly 100 years of local history packed into its stone walls.

The home’s most famous inhabitant was J. Robert Oppenheimer, often known as the “father of the atomic bomb” and his family. They lived in the home for just two years – 1943 to 1945 – but their presence is visible throughout the house with black and white photographs documenting Oppenheimer entertaining guests in the exact spot where the photographs sit.

The most recent owners laid down significant roots in the house. Helene and Jerry Suydam owned the home for 55 years. According to a report written in 2003 by John Ruminer, chair of the Los Alamos Historic Properties Committee, the Suydams signed a living trust agreement with the society, selling title of the home to the Los Alamos Historical Society with the provision that they may live in the home as long as they choose. The couple resided in the home until their deaths, Jerry in 2011 and Helene in August 2020 at 100 years old.

Ruminer wrote that the Suydams made one of the most generous donations ever received by the historical society by forgiving the purchase price.

Historical Society Executive Director Liz Martineau agreed saying, “The thing is, to me, what a gift to the community this house is … the history behind the house is important.”

The Historical Society is now preparing the home for public view. Martineau explained that the house was originally built in 1929 for May Connell. Her brother AJ Connell was director of the Ranch School. May did not want a log cabin so the original part of the house has stone walls and features many windows and natural light because she was a painter and made her home a studio.

Martineau recently gave the Los Alamos Daily Post a tour of the historic home, which revealed bookshelves filled with history including a complete series of Encyclopedias dated 1911. A record player and rows and rows of albums sit on a table and a small, bronze statue of Oppenheimer graces a fireplace.

Martineau pointed the way to the home’s two small bedrooms, which look like broom closets compared to today’s standards. The small kitchen displays inventive built-in measuring cups beneath wooden cabinets and above Formica countertops.

The living room steals the show with its large paned glass windows and peaked ceiling lined with wood beams. The rough stone walls throughout the house are painted white. Even on a cold December day, the room is filled with light.

Martineau said it is not yet clear whether Oppenheimer left mementos behind.

“Even if they didn’t belong to Oppenheimer, many of the pieces in here are period to Oppenheimer,” she said.

A few other famous locals have left their mark in the house. Martineau pointed to a chair that once belonged to Peggy Pond Church.

This small house offers a lot to the community, Martineau said.

“It’s important to the history of our town,” she said. “We’re just so grateful.”

Before the Oppenheimer House can be opened to the public, there is work that needs to be done, which Martineau said primarily centers on safety issues. Asbestos must be removed, and the electrical installation requires upgrading. A crack that runs jaggedly across an interior wall needs to be repaired as does the roof. Also, the grounds will be landscaped.

A three-year plan is underway to open the house to the public in 2022:

• Year one: Have a historic house architectural firm guide the historical society while it stabilizes, upgrades and refurbishes the house to comply with historic house building codes and contemporary regulations and standards. Address the landscaping and form a team to interpret and identify story concepts for the Interpretative Plan.
• Year two: Develop and execute the Interpretative Plan.
• Year three: Open the house in September 2022 and offer tours, lectures and fundraising events.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has been an obstacle in keeping this plan on schedule, Martineau said. Despite the setbacks, she said a home inspection has been competed and the historical society is taking care of things identified through the inspection.

All things considered, the Suydams kept the house is great condition, Martineau said.

“If it weren’t for them this house wouldn’t be in the historic condition it’s in,” she said.

Other members of the community also have stepped up to get the house prepared for public viewing. Martineau said Roger and Emily Waterman “have really stepped up to make sure this property’s needs are taken care of.”

She explained that they established an account at Enterprise Bank & Trust to raise funds for the renovations. They also seeded the first amount of money.

Martineau encourages each resident to contribute to ensure the house can open to the public.

“If everyone does a little, we can do great things,” she said.

Having this house will expand the historic campus in Los Alamos and also is a chance to collaborate with other organizations and agencies in the community, she said.

“We’re lucky in Los Alamos,” Martineau said. “There is a lot of collaboration with the national parks, the County, and others to make a vibrant historic district.”

This house embodies more than just nearly 100 years of history and a famous occupant. It is a symbol of this town’s spirit, she said, adding that the Ranch School contributed to the town’s love and appreciation of the outdoors and the Manhattan Project showed its ability to unite and solve problems.

“I think this house is much bigger than Oppenheimer,” Martineau said. “It is characteristic of our community today. I hope it will inspire young people to find ways to work together and solve complex problems.”

An interior view of the Oppenheimer House on Bathtub Row. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

An interior view of the Oppenheimer House on Bathtub Row. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

An interior view of the Oppenheimer House on Bathtub Row. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

The Oppenheimer House still features the original 1967 P-St. address used before the street name was officially changed several years ago to Bathtub Row. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com