ROUTE 66: 1939 Postcard

ROUTE 66

1939 Postcard

Pictured is the Rosenwald Brothers Department Store building on Route 66, aka Central Avenue, in Downtown Albuquerque. The Sunshine building can be seen in the upper left corner.

The building is listed on the National Historic Register and is the first cast concrete structure in the state. The buildings sits at Fourth and Central, the crossroads of the old pre-1937 north/south alignment of Route 66 and the later east/west route through Albuquerque.

The building is currently vacant. The bottom two floors are owned by the city.

ABQ: Parking Sign

ALBUQUERQUE

Parking Garage Sign

This is a photo converted to a drawing of a sign located in Downtown Albuquerque.
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Photo journal of drawings.

ABQ: Former Hale Shoes

ALBUQUERQUE

Former Hale Shoes

In the 1930s Hale Shoes opened at 109 5th Street SW, between Central Avenue and Gold, remaining in the same location for over 80 years. According to the Alibi, the store only had three owners. All of them ran the store by the same motto: Don't try to stock what people think they want. Give them what they need.

The Hale Shoes sign, and some other mementos from the store, was donated to the Albuquerque Museum after the store closed.

OLD ROUTE 66: Former Royal Fork

OLD ROUTE 66

Former Royal Fork Buffet Restaurant


View the complete photo journal of drawings of Downtown Albuquerque.
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The Royal Fork Buffet sign is left over from the restaurant that used to be located here. The chain was founded by Jerry Caven, who started with some McDonald's restaurants and attended their "Hamburger University" while living in Idaho. Later he decided to open a buffet chain that would have 48 locations in 12 states, before he sold the Royal Fork Buffet chain in the late 1970s. He would later return to the corporation. Some Royal Fork Buffet restaurants are still in operation in the West and Canada.

The abandoned Albuquerque site was redeveloped into the Royal Fork Lofts.

The Royal Fork sign is located on south Fourth Street, which was the pre-1937 alignment of the original Route 66 that ran north/south through Albuquerque. South Forth Street eventually was designated a historic commercial district in the Barelas neighborhood.

ROUTE 66: Postcard 1938

ROUTE 66

Postcard 1938

This image is Central Avenue in 1938. It would have just been designated as the new north and south alignment of Route 66.

The older alignment went north/south from Santa Fe, through Albuquerque until it turned east/west again around Los Lunas. Once the route was changed, Route 66 no longer went to Santa Fe.

ROUTE 66: Former Huning Castle

ROUTE 66

Former Huning Castle

Huning Castle was built by the wealthy German immigrant Franz Huning. Constructed of adobe with "wood flourishes" the castle would be demolished in the 1950's.

Franz Huning prospered in trade and real estate development. The Huning Highland neighborhood and Huning Castle (aka Country Club) neighborhood are both named after him, as well as various streets.

The Manzano Day School was originally housed in the Huning Castle from 1938 until it moved to its present location down the street on Central Avenue in 1942.

In the 1920s Franz's son built the Castle Apartments on the other side of the street. The apartments were lost to fire in 2009.

ROUTE 66: Former Apts

ROUTE 66

Former Apartment Building

The Castle Apartments used to be located at 1410 Central SW. They were built in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The building was architecturally significant for the period of 1900 - 1924.

The designer/builder is listed as E. J. Marchant. He is also noted for some other buildings, including additions to the University of New Mexico, the Eller Apartments on 8th St SW, and the Barstow Airport.

The Castle Apartments were destroyed by fire in 2009.

ABQ: Tallest Buildings Downtown

ALBUQUERQUE

Tallest Buildings Downtown


From Emporis:

Below are the tallest buildings, by rank in the city, located in Greater Downtown Albuquerque. 

9 of the "tallest structures" in the top 25 list for the whole city of Albuquerque are actually transmission or drop towers.

The picture is of the Gold Building.

The only building listed at Emporis as an actual skyscraper is the Albuquerque Plaza Office Tower.

The La Posada de Albuquerque is now the Hotel Andaluz, originally a Conrad Hilton hotel.

Rank	Name	Height ft / m	Floors	Year	Notes
1	Albuquerque Plaza Office Tower	351 / 107	22	1990	Tallest building in the state of New Mexico. Tallest building constructed in Albuquerque in the 1990s. Formerly known as the Bank of America Tower.
2	Hyatt Regency Albuquerque	256 / 78	21	1990	Tallest all-hotel building in the state.
3	Compass Bank Building	238 / 73	18	1968	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1960s.
4	Albuquerque Petroleum Building	235 / 72	15	1986	Tallest building constructed in Albuquerque in the 1980s.
6	Gold Building	203 / 62	14	1968
7	Dennis Chavez Federal Building	197 / 60	13	1972	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1970s.
13	PNM Building	184 / 56	12	1974
15	Simms Building	180 / 55	13	1954	Tallest building constructed in Albuquerque in the 1950s.
16	Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse	176 / 54	7	1997
17	Metropolitan Courthouse	175 / 53	9	2003
18	Wells Fargo Bank Building	174 / 53	13	1973
21	Doubletree Hotel	166 / 51	16	1975
22	Albuquerque Regional Medical Center	166 / 51	11	1969	Tallest hospital building in New Mexico.
23	Park Plaza Condominiums	160 / 49	14	1965	Tallest residential building in New Mexico.
24	One Civic Plaza	158 / 48	11	1985
23	The Bank Lofts	141 / 43	9	1922	Formerly known as the First National Bank Building. Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1920s.[40][41]
26	La Posada de Albuquerque	135 / 41	10	1939	Tallest building constructed in Albuquerque in the 1930s.[44][45]

ABQ: Drawings of Downtown

ALBUQUERQUE

Drawings

For a slide show of drawings visit the video.


This drawing was made from a photo of the Downtown skyline, taken from an office in the Sunshine building. The street is Central Avenue, formerly Route 66.

ABQ: Gertrude's Garden

ALBUQUERQUE

Gertrude's Garden

Visit the photo journal to view the garden.


Walk through the back of Gertrude Zachary's antique store in Downtown Albuquerque and you will find yourself in the garden, full of wonderful statues and fountains.

ROUTE 66: Former Barber Shop

ROUTE 66

Former Barber Shop

This photo was taken looking into the window of the Castillo Brothers Barber shop, which closed sometime around 2005. The brothers, Nick and Joe, drove up from Belen every day to run their two person shop for decades.

They were located on Central Avenue, the former Route 66, between Downtown and Old Town. The building is typical of this stretch of the road with a storefront built on to the front of a house.

The laundry across the street, reflected in the upper left hand corner of the window, is still in operation.

ROUTE 66: Former Chente's

ROUTE 66

Chente's New Mexican Food

This little hamburger stand used to be located behind the former Dairy Queen on Route 66, now Central Avenue, between Downtown and Old Town in Albuquerque. Both the Dairy Queen and Chente's buildings have been torn down. Dairy Queen relocated west of Rio Grande Boulevard on Central Avenue.

ABQ: Summer at BioPark

ALBUQUERQUE

Summer at the BioPark

Photo of a statue in the gardens.

STYLE: Bicycles

STYLE

Bicycles

Five or ten years ago, bicycles were considered serious equipment for only the most sporty and athletic among us. Getting on a bike was supposed to entail stuffing yourself into spandex, a helmet, loading up on the water bottles and eschewing comforts like fenders or a kickstand.

Few bikes existed that would allow someone to comfortably hop on in street clothes and ride 3 blocks to a cafe. Or set up with the necessary equipment to make bicycle commuting to work a reality.

Luckily, recently, bikes have become a lot more fun. A couple years ago I was browsing an area bike shop and fell in love with an Electra Amsterdam in bright yellow, painted with tulips, and hand-tooled seat and grips. It was gorgeous. But it took the sales clerk several minutes to convince me that I wasn't too old to take the bike on a test ride.

Riding the bike was just plain fun. I could just hop on without having to "gear up" in special clothes first. The bike has a completely enclosed chain guard to keep grease stains off clothes. No more rolling up pant legs or wearing a rubber band around one leg. The bike also has rear guards on the back wheel to prevent skirts from getting caught.

The fenders and mud flaps prevent puddles in the rain from splashing up onto the rider. Not that it's much of an issue in the desert, although I still like the look. The bike has a back rack for panniers or baskets. And my very favorite feature--a kickstand. The bike won't fall over if I need to stop and leave it. Kickstands are one of the smartest inventions for a bicycle--ever.

The bike came equipped with a bell to warn pedestrians on the bike path that I'm coming. With only three gears, it's not much of an issue, though. I don't ride very fast on this bike. It was meant to casually tool around, not for speed or long distances. I added a cup holder sold by Electra that accommodates Starbucks.

The biggest selling point for me were the coaster brakes instead of grips on the handle bars. I have carpal tunnel and most bike brakes aggravate the condition. With the Amsterdam I simple pedal backwards to stop.

A lot of cool bike accessories have hit the market recently:panniers, which clip to the sides of the racks, now double as baskets, purses or brief cases; colorful messenger bags; and even full-sized suit garment bags. A commuter can still look professional while riding a bike to work.

Some of my favorite bikes include:

• Women's Electra Amsterdam--great look
• Electra Townie--an easy ride for folks not used to bikes
• Men's Public bikes--for style
• Industrial Bicycles--for durability and commercial uses
• Tri-rider Tandem--a trike at the back of the tandem for biking with someone of lesser abilities

Recommended reading: Just Ride by Grant Petersen

ABQ: Plaza Campana

ALBUQUERQUE

Plaza Campana

View the photo journal.

According to Emporis, the Qwest Communications Building (renamed CenturyLink) located at Plaza Campana is a modernist high-rise with 8 floors and was completed in 1984. The building ranks as the 30th highest in Albuquerque.

The plaza is along the Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall, which was the original alignment of Route 66, running north and south from Santa Fe to Los Lunas, prior to 1937.

SECRET ABQ: Shrine to St. Francis

SECRET ALBUQUERQUE

Shrine to St. Francis

LOCATION: Old Town

Tucked away among Old Town's pedestrian pathways to the main plaza is a shrine to St. Francis built into the side of an adobe building.

 

 

SECRET ABQ: Numbe Whageh

SECRET ALBUQUERQUE

Numbe Whageh

Our Center Place

LOCATION: Sculpture garden at the Albuquerque Museum.

Most of the museum garden is manicured lawn and sculptures. But follow the stone path into a secret place hidden down in the center of a circular path--Numbe Whageh.

From the beginning of time, life has swirled

within and around Numbe Whageh, our

Pueblo center place.

Clouds rise from mountain peaks into

billowing giants in the sky. Winds gather

from the four directions. Lightning and thunder

follow the clouds and smell of rain fills the air.

Drops of water soak the dry, cracked ground as

wet pebbles and rocks glisten with subtle

browns and greys. Small trickles of water

find their way around trees, boulders and stones

through Numbe Whageh.

Here birds, lizards and ants come to drink and live.

Pinons, chamisas and grasses sprout, grow and

send off seeds to sustain others and start life anew.

Cycles begin, continue and fade. It is out of this

moist center place that the Towa, the Pueblo people

emerged. From here, we, the Towa, know the clouds,

mountains, winds and all other creatures who swirl

with us. This is our world place. Here we see

beauty, feel love and know a sacred wholeness...

at Numbe Whageh, our center place.

 

ABQ PLAZAS: First Plaza

ALBUQUERQUE PLAZAS

First Plaza

Link to photo journal.

Some buildings look much smaller than their actual size, particularly when they are built horizontal, instead of straight up into the sky. The First Plaza in Downtown Albuquerque is an example. Over 300,000 square feet, yet it is a rather unassuming building complex. It is classified as a low rise set of buildings-- only six floors above ground, and another story below. It measures less than 90 feet above ground, making it short even by southwestern standards.

 Constructed mid-century, the buildings lack much ornament or detail. However, the public spaces around the buildings are some of the best in Albuquerque.  Rare is the mid-century downtown office complex that strives to make people feel welcome. That invites the public to just hang out around the buildings.

First Plaza’s central outdoor plaza faces east toward Second Street. Unlike Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza, First Plaza uses several techniques to make the expanse more inviting.

Walking from the Andaluz Hotel and entering from the SE corner, planters with trees greet pedestrians, mimicking walking into a partial woods, creating a sense of safety instead of exposure. The planters are short enough and spaced far enough apart that people don’t have to worry about someone hiding behind one either. Which is always an issue in an urban area.

 Tables with chairs are spread out around the entire complex. In the summer umbrellas bring welcome shade. Strong winds and harsh sun aren’t a problem. More seating is provided along grassy areas in the center. People are more welcomed at First Plaza than in many of the so-called public areas of Downtown.

 In the middle of the central outdoor plaza is an oasis, surrounded by grass and trees. The center is a fountain which is crossed by a sidewalk bridge. From a distance the fountain resembles a typical office complex affair with three column structures on one side and jets of water spraying up into the air on the other. Such fountains can be found in office complexes around the world.

 What makes First Plaza unique is that when the fountain is reached up close, it more closely resembles a Japanese garden and bridge, rather than a sterile monument. It becomes a tiny place of refuge in the city.

The main entrance to the complex lacks grandeur. A modest atrium spills out in the central outdoor plaza. Still, it invites people to enter. It’s built on a scale comfortable to humans, even if the actual entrance doors are not clearly marked and take a minute to find.

 Many Downtown buildings in Albuquerque have showpiece atriums that rise two or three stories high at the entrance. Instead, First Plaza’s atrium is small and expands downward to the underground level. This is a fun walk under the city, particularly during New Mexico’s hot summers.

 Exiting back out of the Galleria mall to the street on the NW corner by Third, and across from Civic Plaza, more small plazas can be found around the perimeter of the buildings. While the architecture can most graciously be called minimal at street level, an effort was made to make pedestrians comfortable with the covered porticoes and tables for seating.

 While First Plaza is not glamorous, cutting edge, or even particularly architecturally noteworthy, the plazas surrounding the building are definitely worth a visit.

ABQ: Summer at BioPark

Albuquerque

Summer at the BioPark Botanic Gardens.

Route 66: Former Dairy Queen

ALBUQUERQUE

Former Dairy Queen on Route 66

This photo is the Dairy Queen that used to be located on Route 66, otherwise known as Central Avenue, between Downtown and Old Town next to the Bell Trading Post. This building has been torn down, along with the drive-in hamburger place, Wimpy's Cafe, that was located in the back part of the lot.

There is some argument about who now serves the Wimpy Burger, the Little Red Hamburger Hut (formerly called Wimpy's) located on Mountain Road in the Sawmill neighborhood close to Old Town versus The Red Ball Cafe on Fourth Street in Barelas. The Barelas restaurant claims to be the site of the first Wimpy Burger, although the Old Town location claims to be more authentic.

The next door former "trading post" and jewelry manufacturing building was converted into condos--one of the few condo projects in Albuquerque made from a real converted warehouse. As the city has doesn't have much of a manufacturing history most of our central city condos have been built from scratch or other types of building conversions.

GARDEN: artwork/St. Francis II

GARDEN

St. Francis Statue

This is the second St. Francis statue I've done. Looks a little odd because I didn't remember to photograph it until after I had wrapped the matted board in a plastic bag to go to the gallery.

GARDEN: artwork/Worship

GARDEN

Worship

This photo was taken at the Japanese Garden in Albuquerque's Biopark. I have enhanced part of the picture with oil pastels, and left the rest black and white.

ABQ: Postcard 1914

ALBUQUERQUE

Central High School

Postcard 1914

Wikipedia states that the original Central High School was started on the Plaza in Old Town as an academy. It moved a few times to different buildings in what was then New Town--later to be known as Downtown.

At one point the school was located in a fabulous adobe building, what is now the geneology library in EDo at Edith and Central.

Wikipedia lists the high school moving to Broadway and Central in 1914 in EDo. If that is correct, and the date for the postcard is correct, the card would show the first section of building what is commonly referred to as "old Albuquerque High School." The building would be abandoned and sit vacated for a number of years after a new "Albuquerque High School" was built in 1979 in Matineztown/Santa Barbara.

The buildings at Central and Broadway were converted to apartments and lofts.