You’ll find the ruins of Tyrone, an ambitious Mediterranean-style company town built in 1915 by Phelps Dodge Corporation in New Mexico’s mining country. The million-dollar development featured white stucco buildings, red-tiled roofs, and luxurious amenities for nearly 7,000 residents. When copper prices collapsed in 1921, the town quickly emptied. Today, the site has been transformed into a massive open-pit copper mine, but its architectural legacy tells a fascinating tale of boom-and-bust ambition.
Key Takeaways
- Tyrone was a million-dollar Mediterranean-style mining town built in 1915 by Phelps Dodge Corporation in New Mexico.
- The town reached nearly 7,000 residents and featured elegant mansions, schools, hospitals, swimming pools, and tennis courts.
- Copper market collapse in 1921 forced mine closure, causing mass exodus and abandonment of the well-planned community.
- The original townsite transitioned into an open-pit copper mine during the 1960s, destroying most historic structures.
- Today’s Tyrone ghost town remnants include scattered foundations and mining operations producing 100 million pounds of copper annually.
The Vision Behind Tyrone’s Mediterranean Design
When New Mexico’s Tyrone was conceived in the early 20th century, its architects embraced a distinctive Mediterranean design philosophy that departed from conventional modernist approaches.
You’ll find strong Mediterranean influences in the cubic volumes, terraced rooflines, and pristine white-painted facades that mirror coastal villages like those in Carboneras, Spain. The natural materials prevalent include local stone, wood, and ceramic elements that enhance authenticity.
The design achieves architectural harmony through traditional courtyard layouts and graduated spaces that blend seamlessly with the natural environment. The layout draws from the Roman domus model, creating flowing spaces without corridors.
Rather than following strict Bauhaus principles, Tyrone’s buildings feature powerful buttresses and enclosed patios that serve both aesthetic and practical purposes.
This vision integrates indigenous architectural elements, like adobe construction and Pueblo-inspired flat roofs, creating a unique hybrid that celebrates both Mediterranean and New Mexican building traditions.
A Million-Dollar Mining Town’s Rise to Fame
Beyond its striking Mediterranean aesthetics, Tyrone’s ambitious scale and million-dollar investment set it apart from typical mining settlements of the early 1900s.
You’d find architectural influences from Europe woven throughout the town, showcasing Phelps Dodge Corporation’s vision of creating the world’s most beautiful mining community.
The town’s rapid rise to prominence reflected the era’s mining prosperity and corporate optimism. The site later became a casualty of progress when it was demolished in the 1960s to make way for expanded open pit mining operations.
You could spot elegant mansions, a well-planned business district, schools, and even a hospital – amenities rarely seen in company towns of that time.
The construction cost exceeded one million dollars as the town was completed in 1915.
Renowned architect Bertram Goodhue’s master plan, combined with Mrs. Dodge’s aesthetic direction, transformed what could have been just another mining camp into a showpiece of urban planning, though its glory would prove short-lived with the 1921 copper market collapse.
Life in New Mexico’s Most Ambitious Company Town
Despite its brief existence, Tyrone stood as a reflection of high living standards in company towns, offering residents amenities that rivaled those of established cities.
You’d find a complete range of community amenities, from a fully equipped hospital to a modern school for miners’ children. The town’s recreational facilities included tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a baseball field, while picturesque parks provided spaces for family gatherings and outdoor enjoyment.
Life centered around distinct neighborhoods, with management residing in grand homes on “Bosses Hill,” enjoying panoramic ridge views. The Mediterranean style architecture featured distinctive white stucco walls and red tile roofs throughout the town. As with other disambiguation pages, multiple locations share the name Tyrone.
At its peak, nearly 7,000 residents called Tyrone home, shopping at the general mercantile store and gathering at the post office.
Though the mining boom lasted only until 1921, the town’s thoughtful design and extensive facilities set a new standard for company towns in the American Southwest.
The Swift Decline of a Copper Empire
As World War I drew to a close in 1921, Tyrone’s copper empire faced a devastating market collapse that sent prices plummeting from 33 to 10 cents per pound.
You’d witness the harsh reality of a boom-and-bust cycle that would reshape this mining town’s destiny. The Phelps Dodge Corporation had initially financed the town’s construction in 1915, but their investment would soon crumble. The economic downturn hit the region particularly hard, as copper mining was New Mexico’s second-largest employer.
Today, the mining site still requires a reclamation bond to address environmental cleanup obligations under modern regulations.
The collapse manifested in three distinct ways:
- Production costs exceeded market prices, forcing immediate mine closure.
- Workers fled the once-bustling company town, leaving homes and businesses empty.
- The copper market’s volatility led to sporadic operations between 1921-1950.
You can still see evidence of this decline today, though the mine would later transform through technological evolution, converting to open-pit operations in 1967.
From Planned Paradise to Open-Pit Mine
When Phelps Dodge Corporation founded Tyrone in 1915, they envisioned more than just another mining camp – they created a masterfully planned community. Architect Bertram Goodhue’s urban planning brought Mediterranean and European influences to life, investing over $1 million in this worker’s paradise.
Yet the town’s fate was sealed by evolving mining technology. While underground operations ceased in 1921, the real transformation came in the late 1960s when open-pit mining began. Native Americans were the first to utilize this land, extracting turquoise around 600 AD.
The new method demanded massive land alterations, and Tyrone’s carefully designed townsite stood in the way of progress. You won’t find Goodhue’s architectural vision there today – it’s been replaced by a vast open pit that produces 100 million pounds of copper annually using modern solution extraction and electrowinning processes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happened to the Original Residents After Tyrone’s Abandonment?
You’ll find that post abandonment migration scattered residents across New Mexico and nearby states, seeking mining work elsewhere. Though resident testimonies are limited, most relocated to other industrial towns.
Were Any Artifacts or Personal Belongings Recovered From the Abandoned Buildings?
With over 1,000 buildings once standing, you won’t find documented evidence of artifact discovery or personal belongings from these structures – they were likely lost when open-pit mining destroyed the townsite in 1969.
Did Phelps Dodge Attempt to Save or Relocate Any Historic Structures?
You won’t find evidence that Phelps Dodge pursued historic preservation or mining heritage protection. Their focus remained strictly on environmental reclamation, with no documented attempts to save or relocate historic structures.
What Other Planned Mining Towns Existed in New Mexico During This Era?
You’ll find numerous planned settlements during New Mexico’s mining boom, including Elizabethtown, White Oaks, Hillsboro, Monticello, and Golden. The Gallup area’s Carbon City region hosted over twelve organized mining camps.
How Did Tyrone’s Mediterranean Architecture Influence Other Southwest Mining Communities?
You’ll find Tyrone’s Mediterranean influence reshaped Southwest mining towns through unified stucco designs, red-tiled roofs, and planned community layouts, leaving an architectural legacy that transformed corporate town development philosophies.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrone_(ghost_town)
- https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/tyrone.html
- https://www.loc.gov/item/2004677747/
- https://newmexicotravelguy.com/new-mexico-ghost-towns/
- https://kids.kiddle.co/Tyrone_(ghost_town)
- https://www.iconichouses.org/news/an-elementalist-and-meditaerranean-architecture
- https://archello.com/news/101-dwellings-that-exude-mediterranean-style
- https://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/assets/files/arms/HCPIArchitecturalStyles20131115.pdf
- https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/097f6db5-feee-43f5-a448-fd140763de90/MediterraneanandIndigenousRevivalArchitecture_1893-1948.pdf
- https://usmodernist.org/AIANM/AIANM-1978-09-10.pdf
