In the mid-17th century, a soldier from Mexico City named Diego de Trujillo established a hacienda near what would later become the Albuquerque plaza.

[4][5] Franz Huning, a German immigrant and prominent local businessman, bought the property sometime before 1861 and named it La Glorieta (Spanish for "arbor" or "bower").

During his residence at La Glorieta, Huning added two additional wings to the L-shaped building to create a fully enclosed patio.

Huning, who was described in Harper's as "an impassioned tree-planter",[7] landscaped the grounds with a variety of trees and shrubs, including a cottonwood in the courtyard that grew to a massive size.

Huning also grew crops in the fields around the house and operated a mill, Molino de la Glorieta, on the property.