Brooklyn, NYC

 

 Park Slope

My Family and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Brooklyn. A couple decades ago I attended college at Pratt Institute. While I was a student I worked at Helene von Rosenstiel in the then unremarkable neighborhood of Park Slope. We heard rumors people were starting to talk about moving there, but most of us didn’t believe it.

My job was restoring antique costumes and textiles for private collectors, Sotheby’s auction house, and museums across the country. I once helped to prepare the sequins to be sewn on a pair of ruby slippers from the original Wizard of Oz movie. To restore old quilts, we often mounted them to stretchers, similar to a canvas used for painting. We built the frames ourselves, which required supplies.

One day the manager sent me down the street to the local hardware store. I gathered the nails and other supplies and went to the counter.

Asked the guy, “Do you want me to put this stuff on your tab?”

I looked around the otherwise empty store. He had to be talking to me.

 

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I’m standing here in a city of eight million people. You’ve never seen me before and you’re going to let me put this on a tab? How do you even know where I work?”

(If you ever want to feel like a true New Yorker, you must obey rule number one, which is to always get into an argument with the clerk behind the counter, no matter how trivial the debate.)

 

 

He replied, “I know you have to work at Helene’s. Nobody else ever comes in here looking like you guys. So, do you want this on the company account?”

I said yes and left without having to show ID or pay.

 

 

While in the past couple decades quite a bit has changed—soaring property values, upscale restaurants and fancy boutiques—other things remain classic New York. We rented a VRBO apartment for our vacation in Park Slope. To get the keys we stopped by the corner deli to ask the guy behind the counter for an envelope. Upon leaving, we returned them to the deli. I wouldn’t have a set of keys floating around strangers where I live, but it seems to work in Brooklyn.

View the slideshow of photo illustrations of Park Slope.

How to Transform Civic Plaza

Bryant Park, NYC

November 2013

 

In the center of Downtown Albuquerque is the Harry E. Kinney Civic Plaza. It was constructed as a part of urban renewal to host outdoor events, with a capacity of 20,000 people and a large performance stage. For much of the Plaza’s history, however, it has been an empty and barren concrete wasteland devoid of people. Few venture to the Plaza, unless they happen to work in a next door office or are homeless sleeping on a bench.

Sadly, the city is spending millions of dollars to renovate the Convention Center on the east side of the Plaza, while ignoring the largest public space in the center of Downtown. Civic Plaza could be changed into an enjoyable public gathering spot for tourists, convention goers, office workers and the expanding residential population alike.

On a recent trip to New York City I visited Bryant Park in Manhattan. Despite the terrible November weather—a dark and steady rain with winter temperatures barely above freezing—the park was full of people enjoying the activities.

 

Bryant Park used to be worse than Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza. In the 1970s and 80s it was notorious for muggings and drug deals. The blight caused prime Manhattan property values to drop and become less desirable. Finally a non-profit corporation was formed to better manage the space.

 

 

 

 

 

The park has been transformed with a series of pop-ups, which change throughout the year. I visited the Winter Village. The centerpiece is a 170’ x 100’ ice skating rink, complete with heated tents for warming up, renting skates, and lockers. Overlooking the rink is Celsius, a pop-up restaurant with glass-enclosed lounges and a heated terrace.

 

 

 

During the winter holiday shopping season more than 125 temporary booths are erected to sell local food and goods. The glass stalls are reminiscent of the Crystal Palace, which stood in the park in the mid-1800s.

 

 

 

Other regular amenities include a carousel, games such as Petanque, chess and Ping Pong, and the revival of the public Reading Room, first popular during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Publishers donate periodicals, books and newspapers, which are available free without having to show an identification card.

 

 

In the summer visitors enjoy a public porch, complete with shade, outlets for recharging electronic devices and rockers, swings, and Adirondack chairs. Nearby is a putting green and Kubb, a Scandinavian game similar to lawn bowling. Gardens are planted throughout the park. 
 

It would only take a few of the ideas used in Bryant Park to transform Civic Plaza into a friendly public space which would attract people to Downtown.

 

 

 

ABQ: Postcard 1950

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard 1950


Central Ave., Route 66, in Downtown Albuquerque. The Kress sign still remains. The KIMO recently erected a new sign that is similar to the one in the postcard.

At the time of this postcard, Downtown was still the center for shopping in the city. In another decade that would change as many of the department stores left Downtown to locate in new shopping malls in the NE Heights, like Winrock Mall. They featured plenty of parking near the new housing subdivisions being built.

The abandonment of Downtown had started earlier, however, when autos allowed people to move to new neighborhoods, like areas around the university. One of the earliest auto strip malls was Nob Hill.



Winrock Mall:

In 1961, Winrock Shopping center was completed as a joint venture between soon-to-be Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller and the University of New Mexico on a sandy lot at the edge of I-40. The development included a covered shopping center (the first for Albuquerque and New Mexico) with Safeway, J.C. Penney, Fedway and Montgomery Ward. A freestanding movie theater and attached motor hotel opened in 1963.

The mall was built as an outdoor shopping hub with a screened canopy roof above the main stretch of the mall and acres of parking on all sides. This design allowed for a pleasant shopping experience in the dry summer heat as well as the cold high-desert winters. The 82 acre mall site was bounded by the busy I-40 freeway to the south, with off-ramps to Louisiana Boulevard to the west.

ABQ: Holiday Windows

ALBUQUERQUE

Holiday Windows


Getting ready for Christmas. Decorations in the Peoples Flower Shop windows on Central Ave. (Route 66) in Downtown ABQ.

In the background on the right is the KIMO theater sign.

ABQ: Happy Thanksgiving

ALBUQUERQUE

Happy Thanksgiving


This photo was taken the evening before Thanksgiving from the fourth floor of the Sunshine Building in Downtown Albuquerque.

ABQ: Tours by Bike

ALBUQUERQUE

Touring the City by Bicycle


When you live in the same city for a long time it's easy to fall into a rut of going to the same places and doing the same things. To get a different perspective--try being a tourist for a day.

Routes Rentals & Tours is located at 11th and Mountain in Downtown Albuquerque. They offer a variety of bike tours, including BYOB: Bring Your Own Bike.

We recently took a bike tour along the bosque to look at historic sites in Old Town, ride to the top of the bike bridge over the Rio Grande to admire the view, stop by the Nature Center, do a wine and cheese tasting at a North Valley winery, and a stop by Los Poblanos Farm on the way back.

We chatted with the tourists on the tour about local history and recommended shopping.

Routes offers a variety of tours throughout the year, including special holiday rides and daily bosque tours.

ABQ: Barelas Garden

ALBUQUERQUE

Barelas Community Garden on Fourth Street


Community Gardens are found in neighborhoods around Downtown ABQ.

New Urban Agriculture

From Fast Company's Co.Exist:

There are few upsides to the U.S. recession that left people across the country without jobs, and in some cases, homes. But if we had to pick one good thing that emerged from the economic mess, it would be the vacant land that is now being used to create a new urban agriculture revolution. In a new report, PolicyLink highlights the projects and policies around the country that are bringing urban agriculture to lower-income communities of color--and some of the big challenges that they’re dealing with.

When done well, urban agriculture initiatives can offer access to healthy food in areas that formerly had little, provide jobs and skills development, and provide a sense of community. Getting to the point where that’s possible isn’t easy, however. Among the hurdles that nascent urban agriculture projects have to overcome: water access, land use issues, inadequate business training, and insufficient income generation.

Community Gardening

From Wikipedia:

Community gardens provide fresh produce and plants as well as satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment. They are publicly functioning in terms of ownership, access, and management, as well as typically owned in trust by local governments or not for profit associations.

Community gardens vary widely throughout the world. In North America, community gardens range from familiar "victory garden" areas where people grow small plots of vegetables, to large "greening" projects to preserve natural areas, to tiny street beautification planters on urban street corners. Some grow only flowers, others are nurtured communally and their bounty shared. There are even non-profits in many major cities that offer assistance to low-income families, children groups, and community organizations by helping them develop and grow their own gardens.

In the UK and the rest of Europe, closely related "allotment gardens" can have dozens of plots, each measuring hundreds of square meters and rented by the same family for generations. In the developing world, commonly held land for small gardens is a familiar part of the landscape, even in urban areas, where they may function as mini-truck farms.

Community gardens may help alleviate one effect of climate change, which is expected to cause a global decline in agricultural output, making fresh produce increasingly unaffordable. Community gardens encourage an urban community's food security, allowing citizens to grow their own food or for others to donate what they have grown. Advocates say locally grown food decreases a community's reliance on fossil fuels for transport of food from large agricultural areas and reduces a society's overall use of fossil fuels to drive in agricultural machinery.

Community gardens improve users’ health through increased fresh vegetable consumption and providing a venue for exercise. The gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern urban life, by bringing urban gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and by breaking down isolation by creating a social community. Community gardens provide other social benefits, such as the sharing of food production knowledge with the wider community and safer living spaces.

Active communities experience less crime and vandalism.

 

Resources

American Community Gardening Association

Albuquerque Community Gardens

Another World is Plantable

SECRET ABQ: Veterans Memorial

ALBUQUERQUE

Veterans Memorial at Alvarado Square


On the grounds of Alvarado Square in Downtown is a memorial to people who have served in the military. While the monument is open to the public, it's not visible from the street. The memorial is accessed by walking into the courtyard behind PNM's large fountain at the sidewalk.

This is my favorite memorial in Albuquerque. It's public while still creating a sense of quiet and seclusion within the middle of the city. There is a globe with plaques below to commemorate each branch of the service. A few feet away is a tall wall, covered in ivy, with a bench. It provides a serene space to sit in silence to view the memorial. People seem to treat it reverently as I have never seen anyone sitting on the bench to eat lunch or talk on a cell phone.

The complex is for sale. I haven't seen any discussion of who actually owns the memorial and whether it will move when PNM leaves the building.


Alvarado Square:


Notes NM Business Weekly:

PNM, the building's current occupants, are vacating and the square is for sale.

The building is unique in Albuquerque as it spans Silver Avenue and might be the only building Downtown that has an airspace agreement with the city. PNM kept it in immaculate condition, but a new owner most likely will have to invest in new finishes and other cosmetic upgrades. The building has eight floors and all its mechanical systems are operational.

Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (architectural)

184.00 ft

Height (roof)

184.00 ft

Floors (above ground)

12

Construction end

1974

ABQ: Grocery ReOpening

ALBUQUERQUE

View drawings.

Food and Fun at your new Downtown ABQ Grocery Store

Lowe's Corner Market invites you to attend the grand re-opening and dedication of their beautifully rehabilitated store on the corner of 11th and Lomas Blvd. NW Albuquerque, NM. A special fund-raiser for the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, providing direct services to downtown Albuquerque's homeless population.



Sunday November 18th · 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Please join us for hors d'oeuvres and samplings of both food and beverage offerings including a tour of the new store. Admission is free to all.

Dedication and Ribbon Cutting: 2:00 PM
Meet and Greet: 2:15 PM
Deluxe Sampling: 2:15 -  4:00 PM
Music by Chava and Paid My Dues Rhythms and Blues

Come see the newest Urbanist gem in greater Downtown Albuquerque

Event by: Urban at ABQ: Advocacy for Positive Urban Change

Please RSVPOnline  

This event will also be a fundraiser to benefit
Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd
Direct Services Agency for the Homeless

Suggested donation: $20.

Services Provided by Good Shepherd:

• Daily communal meal for men, women and children
• Temporary overnight accommodations for men
• Men’s clothing distributed on weekday mornings
• Seven month residential drug and alcohol abuse recovery program for men without income.
• Clients are referred to other area service agencies for a continuum of care. 18 Iron SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

 

Please RSVPOnline

INFO:

Living and working in Downtown Albuquerque just got a whole lot better. A new and improved place to shop for groceries is a welcome addition!

For years people have wanted a more modern grocery store that reflected current needs of the neighborhood. For years it was little more than a complaint, something for someone else to tackle. Then some new neighbors moved in and made some phone calls. Come...

see what happens when a little neighborhood idea meets a responsive business partner.

Lowe’s, the Asher Family, Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, Urban@ABQ and the Downtown Neighborhoods Association are pleased to announce the Grand Reopening of Lowe’s Corner Market.

The dedication and ribbon cutting celebration will take place on Sunday November 18, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:00pm. Lowe’s Corner Market is located at the corner of 11th and Lomas NW.

Everyone is welcome at this open house event to meet and greet the people involved, including representatives from city, county, state and federal government.

The Lowe family have been grocers since the 1940’s and strive to give their customers the freshest meats, fruits, and veggies, fantastic promotions, and a fast and friendly checkout, while creating an atmosphere of fun.

This rehabilitation project includes many energy efficient improvements to the building and parking lot. The layout of the aisles maximized the space so more food choices are being offered, including organic, glutten-free and ready to eat options. A full liquor department offers a nice variety of wines and micro brews.

 

ABQ Plaza: Tallest Building

ALBUQUERQUE

Albuquerque Plaza (aka the Bank of Albuquerque Building)

Tallest Building in New Mexico


Allegiance Realty Corporation

Brochure

PROPERTY NAME:	Albuquerque Plaza
LOCATION:	201 Third Street Albuquerque, NM 87102
TYPE:	Class AA
SIZE:	357,000 square feet
DATE OF ACQUISITION:	February 07, 2005

Description:

Albuquerque Plaza is one of the highest profile properties in Albuquerque's Central Business District. The building is a mixed-use project that includes a 22-story office tower, a retail arcade, underground parking facilities, meeting space and is attached to a 395-room luxury Hyatt Hotel.

Albuquerque Plaza has a state-of-the-art infrastructure and superior architectural design known for its pyramid peaked roof and colored granite exterior. Due to its proximity to Federal and State courthouses, Albuquerque Plaza has successfully attracted Albuquerque's most prestigious law firms and GSA tenants.


Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (architectural)

351.05 ft

Length

137.99 ft

Width

124.80 ft

Floors (above ground)

22

Construction end

1990

Elevators

8

Parking places

476

ABQ: 4th St Ped Mall

ALBUQUERQUE

Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall

Downtown's pedestrian mall was created by closing and bricking over part of 4th Street, which was the original alignment, north and south, of Route 66 running through Albuquerque. By the time the outdoor mall was created Route 66 has been changed to run east and west on what is now Central Ave.

The pedestrian mall hasn't been very successful and the city is considering tearing it apart and reopening the street to road traffic. While some pedestrian malls, such as Denver, have been successful in lining the space with retail shops, restaurants and outdoor vendors, ABQ has not. Only a couple tables are set up regularly for street retailing and the space mostly collects homeless people.

The Hyatt wasn't built yet when the pedestrian mall was created. While the hotel restaurant has some closed-off outdoor seating, pictured above, their building was designed as a fortress against the street and public gathering was expected to take place in the central atrium indoors. In fairness to the hotel, Downtown ABQ was rather rough when the project was built.

Most of the street scape is rather barren, except for the patio seating on the south end of the mall by Central Ave. The best features of the mall are the shade trees that run down the center, which along with the tall buildings, provide welcome shade in the summer.



Pedestrian Malls:

Notes The Atlantic--American urban history is dotted with failed (and occasionally infamous) pedestrian malls. But there are success stories too, which offer lessons in designing walkable, mixed-use districts.

The world's first planned pedestrian mall was built in 1953 in Rotterdam. Six years later, Kalamazoo, Michigan, became the first American city adopt the concept. Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen (most famous for his American shopping malls) envisioned a project that would resemble Vienna's Ringstrasse. Instead, a much scaled-down concept was built in 1959.

The Kalamazoo Mall did well at first, with a fourth block added in the 1970s. But by the 1990s, it had become a sore spot for many residents. The "mall" had less parking, less weather protection, and more vagrants that the traditional shopping center. When the city decided to reopen part of the street in 1998, citizens excitedly competed, via raffle, to drive the first car down the mall.

Others have been more successful. Some of the best pedestrian malls in America are located in college towns like Charlottesville, Ithaca, Iowa City, and Madison.

ABQ: Postcard Night

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard of Downtown at night.

Route 66, which is now Central Ave.

Date: 1970.

The tallest building on the left, behind the ABC sign, is now the Banque Lofts. It is, of course, a former bank building.

The intersection at the Walgreens and Woolworth's is now the Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall.

SECRET ABQ: Courtyard

SECRET ALBUQUERQUE

Courtyard

Courtyard tucked away in Downtown Albuquerque. The back portion of the building looks older, with a newer addition in front by the street.

This courtyard is open to the public--if you know where to look.

ABQ: SnapSpace

ALBUQUERQUE

SnapSpace

Photo journal of the SnapSpace landscape.

On the edge of the Raynolds Addition and Barelas neighborhoods near the zoo in Downtown, local developers Sean Gilligan and Marilyn Keller are trying a new concept in Albuquerque home building--"stick-built" modular homes that can be moved to other locations throughout the state.

The concept embraces both green building and simplified compact living. They have a model home on Iron that is less than 900 SF. Which means that more time and attention is spent on outdoor living. The photo journal at the top of the page shows their attention to the details of creating an urban sanctuary landscape, which includes 3 separate outdoor decks, fire pits and BBQ, a pond and a garden.

The enclosed yard is reminiscent of the Medieval concept of a Hortus Conclusus, literally a walled garden that served as a contemplative outdoor room within the larger garden.


Explains Landscape Design + More--Hortus Conclusus is the archetype of an enclosed garden.  A walled garden, one with a fenced enclosure, became synonymous with the term “garden” in medieval times.  Its nomenclature, “hortus conclusus,” is believed to originate from King Solomon’s “Song of Songs” 4:12 "Hortus conclusus soror mea, sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus" ("A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.")

The enclosed garden was a common setting for images of the Virgin Mary in medieval artwork.

In secular terms the garden became a symbol of earthly love, typified by Guillaume de Llorris 13^th century poem the Roman de la Rose, an allegory of man and an enclosed garden. In this walled garden, the interior represents romance, while the exterior is emblematic of everyday life.

Artificial nature is the basis for the hortus conclusus - shutting the space off from the outside world, creating an image of an inner paradise. One could begin to suggest that this archetype has been translated into present day public pocket parks in urban centers. A more private example would be the jewel box size gardens behind brownstone buildings - is an oasis, a refuge of peace and tranquility among the chaos within the urban infrastructure.




Information about SnapSpace:


SG Properties is the sales representatives for SnapSpace NM, LLC.  We build movable, modular, green homes for delivery throughout the state.  These homes are "stick built" at our factory yard in Albuquerque and moved to your lot.  

Models:  We currently have one model for sale.  We have schematic designs for a number of other models and are in the process of completing the working drawings and pricing them.  The current model can be seen at 1104 Iron SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

 

Process:  Our homes are built in our factory yard and then shipped to your lot.   Customers either pay for their unit with cash or with financing.  Once the home is finished it is shipped to your lot for installation on your foundation.

 

Find Out More About SnapSpace:  Please call or email us if you have questions, want additional information, or would like to schedule a tour of our model.  Be prepared to be impressed.  
 

Sean Gilligan

SG Properties. Qualifying Broker

Phone  505.440.5814

Fax  866.630.6946

Email  sean@sgproperties.biz

 

ABQ: Alvarado

ALBUQUERQUE

Alvarado Transportation Center

See the Photo Journal of Downtown Drawings.


Wikipedia:

Albuquerque's first train station, a small railroad depot, opened on the site of the current ATC in the 1880s. With increasing demand for a larger facility, the Alvarado Hotel, a Mission Revival-style building which served as one of the many Harvey Houses along the train route, was constructed on the site in the 1902. Santa Fe Railroad architect Charles Whittlesey designed the building, and Mary Colter designed the interior of the hotel. The hotel was named for Hernando de Alvarado of the 1540 Francisco Vázquez de Coronado Expedition. Just south of the hotel a train station was constructed, also in the Mission Revival style and with a large, distinctive tower.

The Alvarado Hotel was renowned for its luxury, but by the mid-20th century, with the decline in railroad travel in the United States, the hotel fell on hard times and was demolished in 1970. The site remained a dirt parking lot for many years. In 1993, the Albuquerque train station burned down, and Amtrak used a small facility on the site as the train station.

The current ATC complex was constructed in the 2000s. The first phase of the project was completed in 2002 to serve ABQRide. The second phase, completed in 2006, added facilities for Amtrak, Greyhound Lines, and the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail line. The ATC was designed to be reminiscent of the old buildings, with many architectural elements borrowed from the Alvarado Hotel and the former train station.
 

 

AMTRAK: The Alvarado Station is served by the Southwest Chief.

Take in the Grandeur of the American West on an Adventure.

The Amtrak Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles, through the vast expanse of the fabled American West.

You'll be mesmerized by this region's beauty and allure. We'll take you across the mighty Mississippi through eight states—past wheat fields and ranches, missions and pueblos, mountains and deserts. Carving through curving canyon passages only a few feet wider than the train itself, you'll see spectacular landscapes and pristine vistas not visible from interstate highways.

 

RAIL RUNNER: The Rail Runner is passenger train service between the Albuquerque Greater Metro Area and Santa Fe. They are working on continuing to expand links to other transportation options, like high capacity bus routes.
 

Bus Connections from the Downtown Albuquerque Alvarado station:

 

ABQ RIDE Route 766 - Rapid Ride Red Line 
Use this express bus route located in the front of the building to access Old Town, the ABQ BioPark, UNM, Nob Hill and Uptown 

 

ABQ RIDE Route 40 - The D-RIDE
This is a free downtown circulator that runs every 7 minutes.

 

ABQ RIDE Route 53 - Isleta
Use this route to access the Albuquerque Zoo

 

ABQ RIDE Route 350 - Airport Express

Use this route to access the Albuquerque International Sunport 

 

Other ABQ RIDE Routes
There are more than 20 other ABQ RIDE bus routes that get you just about anywhere in the city!

 

Show your Rail Runner ticket to get on the bus for free!

 

UNM Hospital and UNM Campus: Free shuttle service to UNM Hospital and UNM Campus is available. More information.

 

Park and Ride: take the NMDOT's Park and Ride bus to travel between the Downtown Albuquerque Rail Runner Station and East Mountains/Moriarty.  Read all about theTurquoise Route.

 

ABQ: PARK(ing) Day 2012

 

ALBUQUERQUE

PARK(ing) Day 2012

See the photo journal.

ABOUT PARK(ING) DAY

Providing temporary public open space . . . one parking spot at at time.

PARK(ing) Day is a annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. The project began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in downtown San Francisco. Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement, with organizations and individuals (operating independently of Rebar but following an established set of guidelines) creating new forms of temporary public space in urban contexts around the world.

ROUTE 66: Kress Sign

ROUTE 66

Kress Sign

The Kress sign remains on Route 66 (Central Ave) in Albuquerque, along with curved plate glass windows and interesting architectural details, on an empty storefront in Downtown.

Kress department stores were a chain of Five and Dimes, similar to Woolworth's. They were in business from 1896 to 1981 and a precursor to modern day Kmart, Target and Wal-Mart. In the first half of the twentieth century Kress stores could be found on the mainstreets of hundred of cities and towns across America.

Samuel Henry Kress, founder of S. H. Kress & Co., used his fortune to amass the most significant collections of Italian Renaissance and European artwork assembled in the twentieth century. Works were eventually donated to 18 regional museums around the U. S.

Kress stores are noted for their architecture. Kress considered his buildings to be works of public art that would contribute to the cityscape. The Albuquerque store is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Due to its ongoing vacancy, it remains in nearly original condition.

Notes the Historic Register nomination form, filled out in the early 1980's:

The Kress Building in Downtown Albuquerque is an unaltered 1925 Kress store displaying a standard storefront design developed by the S. H. Kress Company in the 1920's. It is the only such storefront in New Mexico and as such is of both local and state significance. It is possibly nationally significant as a virtually unchanged example of a major chain store's early attempt to achieve quick public recognition through the use of standardized design. In Albuquerque it is an extremely rare unremodeled pre-depression retail building.