Abo Elementary School
Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter | |
Entrance structure to the school | |
| Location | 1802 Center Ave., Artesia, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°49′57″N 104°25′9″W / 32.83250°N 104.41917°W |
| Built | 1962 |
| Architect | Frank Standhart; W.R. Bauske & Co. |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001171 |
| NMSRCP No. | 1781 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 29, 1999 |
| Designated NMSRCP | July 16, 1999 |
Abo Elementary School in Artesia, New Mexico, United States, was the first public school in the United States constructed entirely underground and equipped to function as an advanced fallout shelter. Designed at the height of the Cold War and completed in 1962, the school had a concrete slab roof which doubled as the school's playground. It contained a large storage facility with room for emergency rations and supplies for up to 2,160 people in the event of nuclear warfare or other catastrophe. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.