Even award winning author, Judy Blume knew about Bathtub Row. Her 1982 book, Tiger Eyes, was set in Los Alamos. The main character, Davey, meets a friend named Jane who lives in an old house on “prestigious” Bathtub Row. In the story, Davey spends the night with Jane in the cottage on the Row and the author spends a great deal of time describing the claw footed iron tub in the bathroom. Davey chooses to take a bath in the infamous bathtub during her night’s stay in order to say she’d had the experience.

The cottages of Bathtub Row aren’t all the same, nor were they built at the same time for the same reasons. The existence of ANY cottages speaks to the success the Los Alamos Ranch School was experiencing. There were certainly some small additions over the years and the Lodge handled a good deal of the school needs. But when AJ Connell paid off the school’s mortgage in 1931, he decided his venture had finally become prosperous enough that it was time to hire a business manager and make some improvements to the school that wouldn’t be a total loss in case of fire.

Sound familiar? In a prior post about Master Cottage #2, I mentioned that the original “Director’s Cottage” at the ranch school burned to the ground in the winter of 1931. How that must’ve been a blow to AJ Connell! Pay off a mortgage. Cottage burns to the ground. Talk about one step forward and two steps back!

The original cottage of the Los Alamos Ranch School was a rather modest structure built entirely of wood planks. The mountains behind have so many more trees than the view we enjoy today, but the shape of our Los Alamos “skyline” still packs the same dramatic punch!

The photo above is from Craig Martin’s and Heather McClenahan’s book, “Of Logs and Stone”. If you haven’t picked this up, you really should! You can find it on the shelf at the Los Alamos History Museum with a dozen or more resources focused on Los Alamos and our unique history.

AJ Connell didn’t actually occupy the Director’s Cottage for very long. The cottage was built in 1923 and he lived there until 1928. The structure was just northwest of the baseball diamond, which meant long foul balls often smacked the roof. Not that the baseball skills of the Ranch School students were responsible for AJ Connell deciding to move out. It was more that the school was growing and teachers were needed. To make room for more staff, Connell moved into a tiny third floor alcove in Fuller Lodge. The room had a slanted roof and provided Connell with a cozy bedroom and sitting room which he utilized in all but the hottest month of summer. Imagine that the next time you’re sweltering in a non air conditioned home here in Los Alamos!

Lawrence Hitchcock and Art Chase occupied the “Director’s Cottage” until it burned in 1931. The Duck Pond, (Ashley Pond) was the main water source for the school. During a good winter, the pond would freeze solidly enough to cut into blocks of ice to be stored in the Ice House and even solid enough for the boys to play hockey. This meant it wasn’t going to help the poor “Director’s Cottage” when it caught fire. The wood structure smoldered until it was nothing but ash as the boys created bucket brigades to bring water from a nearby canyon to douse the flames.

May Connell was said to watch the flames at the “Director’s Cottage” from her cozy “Master Cottage #2”. It’s also suggested that she made mention that a certain corner of that cottage seemed to smolder all through the night and into the next day. The school masters never told May the reason. Evidently, Hitchcock, Art Chase, and Fermor Church had been storing a 30-gallon key of corn whiskey in the cottage to let it age. They’d been hoping to sell big when the cost of whiskey skyrocketed after prohibition ended. Apparently, some things in Los Alamos NEVER change. I’d like to point out that Miss May had no idea what those men had been up to!

With the “Director’s Cottage” gone, it was time for Connell to make a new plan for master cottages, guest houses, and other expansive projects to grow the school he loved. “Master Cottage #1” soon replaced the burnt out shell of what had been and eventually became the Hans Bethe House. But more on that next time… And when you’re ready to join our community here in Los Alamos, give me a call! I love Los Alamos and I’d love to talk real estate in Los Alamos with you!