Route 66: Postcard 1942

 

 

ROUTE 66

 

Postcard 1942

 

Postcard reads: Looking East on Central Ave., with Sandia Mountains in the Distance, Masonic Temple is seen in Foreground at Left.

 

 

The Masonic Temple, with the white columns, has since been torn down. Likewise for the Hotel Franciscan pictured directly behind the temple on the left. The theater across the street, the El Rey, remains in business to this day. They host muscians, receptions, and even an evening church service.

 

 

While the Masonic Temple was typical of architecutre from back east that became popular after the railroads came to New Mexico, the Hotel Franciscan was a unique style of building called Pueblo Revival.

 

According to Wikipedia:

 

The Pueblo Revival style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States which draws its inspiration from thePueblos and the Spanish missions in New Mexico. The style developed at the turn of the 20th century and reached its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, though it is still commonly used for new buildings. Pueblo style architecture is most prevalent in the state of New Mexico.