the Modern monstrosity sold in an online federal auction in 2007 for $1.51 million and as of 2014 remains vacant.On your right the wall art really starts to pop. Whether it’s vandalism or public art often depends on who funded it. For example, stencils indicate which works are sponsored by 516 Arts. This unassuming art gallery fronting Central is a powerhouse for generating citywide events. It also hosts exhibitions by renowned international contemporary artists and occasionally displays masterpieces by the author of this book. Continue straight through the 600 block ahead, enjoying yet another hidden showcase of wall art.
Turn right on 7th St. at the end of the last alley and go a half block north.
Turn right on Central. Standing here on the southeast corner and named for its former owner Luigi—not his cousin, the legendary opera composer Giacomo—the Puccini Building housed both Puccini’s Golden West Saloon and the El Rey Theater, built in 1929 and 1941 respectively. The latter is noted for hosting such music legends as Ella Fitzgerald and Arlo Guthrie. In 2008, shortly after major restorations to the historic structure, a fire gutted the Golden West, but the El Rey survived and received another round of restorations in 2012. The neighboring club, Launchpad, also survived and remains the best bet in town for cheap drinks and cutting-edge music acts. Underground music legends hosted here include Melt-Banana and Agent Orange. The next door down is the Holocaust & Intolerance Museum, a sobering reminder of human atrocities committed throughout the world.
Turn left on 6th St., crossing Central and entering Albuquerque’s northwest quadrant. Sushi Hana is on the northeast corner, in case you skipped Sushi King. Go half a block north.
Turn right into the alley in the 500 block. The last building on the right is commonly referred to as the Old Sears Building. Expanded in 1955 following an interior fire and renovated in 1990, the 56,000-square-foot office building was on the market in 2014 for a mere $2.75 million. Its Streamline Moderne style stands in stark contrast to its Pueblo Deco neighbor to the east. The KiMo Theater, the pièce de résistance of downtown architecture, was commissioned by Oreste and Maria Bachechi, parents of Carlo Bachechi, whose family farm is featured in Walk 14. A boiler explosion in 1951 demolished the original lobby and killed 6-year-old Bobby Darnall, who allegedly haunts the theater to this day. A fire in 1963 destroyed the original stage. The KiMo dodged the wrecking ball in 1977 and has since undergone extensive restorations.Also on the 400 block, Sister is a relatively new hipster bar with patio seating, pub games, and live music. The significantly older yet equally hip Anodyne pool hall is directly above it. Both have a fantastic beer selection. At the end of the block, across 4th St., the brick building ahead on the left was built in 1906 and has housed the Telephone Museum of New Mexico since 1997. Hundreds of phones are on display, along with switchboards, teletype machines, and a 2,000-pound, 7-foot bronze medallion. Hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Continue down the alleyway another two blocks.
Turn left on 2nd St. Hotel Andaluz, the ten-story tower on the nearest corner, was built in 1939 as the first Hilton in New Mexico. At the time it was the tallest and the only air-conditioned structure in the state. Tapas and other exotic fare are available at MÁS, the elegant restaurant on the ground floor, and at Ibiza, the casual patio bar above it.
Continue north past the First Plaza Galleria and the Convention Center. The southeast corner of 2nd St. and Roma Ave. has been the site of various laundry operations for more than a century. The present building was designed by Louis Hesselden in the early 1940s. Often mistaken for a vintage cinema or bus station, the Moderne-style structure is commonly referred to as the Excelsior Laundry Company Building, also known as the American Linen Supply Building and the Ameri-Pride Building. Murals on its exterior walls illustrate its history.
Southwest Brewery and Ice Co. Building overlooks the railroad tracks.
Turn right into the second parking lot entrance north of Plaza del Sol (the building shaped like a Mayan pyramid), and then walk east to 1st St. The arrow ahead indicating a “drive in fur & hide” is a bit misleading. It’s simply an old drive-in sign partially painted over and relocated to R.L. Cox Co., which boasts an impressive inventory of animal-based materials. Their neighbor to the south is a black box known as The Cell, where the FUSION Theatre Company has been producing and performing great American plays since 2001.
Turn right on 1st St. and detour into the parking lot for a closer look at the Southwest Brewery and Ice Co. Building. The trackside operation began in an adobe structure that was destroyed by fire in 1887. The brick-tower complex replaced it in 1902. When the state enacted prohibition in 1917, the brewing permanently ceased, but ice production continued until 1997. Real estate mogul Joe Maloof snapped up the vacant building allegedly because his mom thought it was one of the prettiest buildings she had ever seen. An adjacent warehouse burned down months later, slightly damaging the tower.Warehouses near the south end of 1st St. are the city’s last remnants of an era when sheep surrounded the city and wool was a major industry. Youth Development Inc. occupies the Wool Warehouse, offering such services as after-school tutoring, gang intervention, and public housing assistance. Warehouse 508 is the town’s biggest arts and entertainment center for youth. Serving as both a practice and performance space, it’s likely the place to find the great local artists, actors, poets, DJs, dancers, and musicians of tomorrow. Walk-ins are welcome to tour the 26,000-square-foot facility. The mural on its south-facing wall is Quantum Bridge, described by artist Aaron Noble as “a semi-abstract time travel epic with aesthetic roots in comics, graffiti, and hip-hop.”
Turn right at the end of 1st St. and follow the sidewalk west toward 2nd St.
Take a sharp left onto the viaduct and stay on the sidewalk until you cross back over the tracks, this time entering the northeast quadrant. Admittedly the view is better walking west, so look back every so often to admire the skyline. The eastbound view provides a dramatic illustration of the vast amounts of space we dedicate to parking lots. Try to enjoy the mountain vistas as well. The Sandias peak about 12 miles east. The tracks below appear to be on a collision course with the Jemez Mountains rising about 40 miles north.
Turn right on Broadway and use the crosswalks to safely navigate your way back to where you started. For reference, First Baptist Church is the big brick building one block south.Expert wanderer David Ryan recaps the walk accordingly: “I didn’t know what to expect at the start of the walk, but as we kept going we ran into something interesting at almost every turn. The unique designs on the old Federal Building were a total surprise. It’s worth a visit on its own. When I lived in Albuquerque in 1969, the Old Sears Building is where preinduction physicals were held by the military. Sears was long gone from downtown and located in Coronado Mall. Coronado and Winrock malls ended major retail downtown. Another unexpected highlight was when we took the elevator to the top of a parking deck at 3rd and Copper and had uninterrupted views of the Sandias to the east, the Manzanos to the south, and downtown all around us. This is a walk I would be happy to do over and over again.”
POINTS OF INTEREST
Century Theatres cinemark.com/theatre-447, 100 Central Ave. SW, 505-243-9555
Tucanos Brazilian Grill tucanos.com, 110 Central Ave. SW, 505-246-9900
Sushi King sushikingnm.com, 118 Central Ave. SW, 505-842-5099
Sunshine Theater sunshinetheaterlive.com, 120 Central Ave. SW, 505-764-0249
Chama River Microbar chamariverbrewery.com, 106 2nd St. SW, 505-842-8329
Burt’s Tiki Lounge 313 Gold Ave. SW, 505-247-2878
Downtown Contemporary Gallery downtowncontemporary.com, 105 4th