Albuquerque Building Where Microsoft Was Founded Added to National Register
The Cal-Linn Building in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. This designation comes after the building was found to be the original headquarters for Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975.
The building, located at 6320 Linn Ave. NE, is a nondescript structure that doesn't stand out architecturally. However, it holds significant importance in American history as the birthplace of one of the world's most influential tech companies.
Gates and Allen first visited Albuquerque to meet with Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, who had developed the Altair 8800 microcomputer. The duo created a version of BASIC, a programming language tailored to MITS's new machine, and the name 'Micro-Soft' was coined as a portmanteau of 'microcomputer' and 'software.'
The original Microsoft office in Albuquerque operated from 1975 until January 1, 1979, when Gates and Allen moved their headquarters to Bellevue, Washington. A plaque commemorating the founding of Microsoft was placed at the building in 2006.