Albuquerque Development Thread

[ABQalex]

The city broke ground yesterday on the Sawmill section of the Rail Trail. They did so by driving ceremonial golden spikes into a railroad tie. The streetscape improvement project on Bellamah Avenue was also kicked off as part of the ceremony. The new estimated cost for the entire Rail Trail project is $90 million, which the city says they have exactly half of that amount on hand. This portion of the project from Mountain Road to 12th Street will cost $3 million and is expected to be completed next year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...-bellamah.html

On Aug. 29, a groundbreaking ceremony in the Albuquerque Sawmill District marked the start of the next phase of the city's Rail Trail project, moving closer to the goal of creating a 7-mile loop that will connect Downtown Albuquerque to various local attractions.

This phase focuses on linking Mountain Road to Bellamah Avenue and includes a complete streetscape redevelopment of Bellamah Avenue, with new trees, sidewalks and improved traffic flow, said Terry Brunner, director of the City of Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA).

The $3 million project is being constructed by Jaynes Corp., Wilson & Co., Toole Design and Antoine Predock Architect PC. The development, funded by the MRA, is expected to be completed by next summer, Brunner said.

On May 22, the City of Albuquerque began construction on the first phase of the project at Central Crossing, located at First Street and Central Avenue. Currently, officials are demolishing the Southwest ramp in front of Alvarado Station at 100 First St. SW., with plans to eventually construct a safe and accessible crossing over the railway. This phase is expected to be completed by summer 2025 as well, Brunner said.

The entire Rail Trail project, estimated at $90 million, will be carried out in about eight phases. To date, the project has secured approximately $45 million in funding, Brunner said.

Following the Sawmill phase, Brunner hopes to continue construction toward 12th Street and into Old Town.

"We're looking forward to this being the first real showcase of the linear part of the trail," Brunner said. "It will be a catalyst to get the entire community to want to invest further in this trail."

Due to the overall project's funding coming from multiple sources — not solely MRA — the City is required to issue bidding requests for each segment. Jaynes Corp. received initial approval to construct the first couple phases of the project 13 months ago, Stetson Chandler, project engineer at Jaynes Corp., said.

To facilitate the Sawmill phase, the City of Albuquerque purchased approximately 3 acres of land from the Explora Science Center and Children's Museum of Albuquerque in July. The total purchase price was $300,000, Brunner said.

"We really needed this section of old rail lines from Mountain [Road] to Bellamah [Avenue]," Brunner said.

The Albuquerque Rail Trail is expected to unlock approximately $590 million in redevelopment initiatives, a figure that may fluctuate slightly by the project’s completion in 2027. Once finished, the trail will create a 7-mile loop connecting Downtown Albuquerque to attractions such as Old Town, the Rail Yards, Sawmill District, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) and the Albuquerque Convention Center.

The MRA currently has redevelopment plans for Barelas, Downtown, Wells Park and Sawmill.

“The idea is when this is done, that you're actually going to have some feel for what the whole Rail Trail will be about," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said during the groundbreaking ceremony. "This is also going to be a wonderful demonstration of what the power of these trails has to bring us together."

A new website for the Rail Trail was also introduced. They say it will allow you to track the progress of the project. Below is the link to the website along with nice renderings of the Rail Trail that are posted in the site's gallery. I again hope these are the actual plans for what's going to be built that are depicted in the renderings, because I love what's shown!

https://abqrailtrail.org/

























I tried to arrange the renderings in a linear fashion following the trail as it goes from the Sawmill Area and Old Town towards Downtown Albuquerque. The first rendering depicts what they are calling the Roadrunner Pavilion, which looks like it's set in a park/greenspace just northwest of the Sawmill Crossing development/subdivision.

This is the structure that I love so much and which I think is supposed to look like the legs of a Roadrunner moving quickly in a circle, sort of like on the New Mexico Lottery's logo.

The third rendering looks like it's the portion of the trail as it nears Mountain Road, with Tiguex Park in the distance. Again, with some awesome structures surrounding it.

As you get towards the other end there are two renderings that seem to depict the area next to the convention center and the Marquette at-grade crossing, with the overpass visible as well. This area looks like it will have a neat art piece depicting a giant goathead sticker, which I love and which goes well with the neon tumbleweed at the Central Crossing.

I just love all of this, I really hope it comes out this well and as depicted. This really shows what our city is capable of when we allow ourselves to do big and great things!

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported yesterday morning about a fun project that will transform the clock tower at the Alvarado Transportation Center into a working cuckoo clock.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Artist will turn Alvarado tower into giant cuckoo clock

After many years looming large over the corner of Central and First, the Alvarado Transit Center clock tower has become something of a local icon. But it is about to take a serious turn for the whimsical: The city has commissioned an artist to add forest-themed accents, new clock hands, and doors that open periodically to reveal singing birds. The Downtown core, in short, will soon be home to a giant cuckoo clock.

"I saw that clock tower … and I thought, gee, that would be perfect," said Evelyn Rosenberg, the artist in question.

The project is set to take advantage of two sets of three small windows located immediately below the clockface and on the two top layers of the tower. The birds will go in the top windows behind their automatic doors, and while the exact species have not yet been selected, Rosenberg said a roadrunner will definitely be one of them. The details of the chirping/singing routine have likewise not been sorted out yet, but it looks to involve some kind of hourly appearance, except overnight and in cases of inclement weather. The bottom set of windows will accentuate the vibe with a (non-mechanical) forest scene.

The state of the tower's interior, meanwhile, is making the retrofit easier: "It's completely empty," Rosenberg said.

The plan is to 3-D print the birds and to make the doors with a technique Rosenberg developed called detonography, which involves arranging explosive materials over metal and then setting them off. The resulting blast quickly forces the metal against a clay mold, which gives the piece some of its detail. Other objects can also be inserted into the mix and the explosions wind up essentially printing them onto the metal.

The city's Arts Board signed off on the project - called "Albuquerque Cuckoo" - in July, and final approval from the city administration came soon after that. Once the contract is signed, Rosenberg will have up to a year to complete the artwork, which has a budget of $97,000.

Sherri Brueggemann, the manager of the city's Public Art Urban Enhancement Division, said she does not anticipate that construction will have any impact on people using the transit center.

The idea for the project originated at a CNM class Rosenberg attended at the nearby Fuse Makerspace (DAN, 6/1/23). Focused on the confluence of art and the internet of things, the class was designed for artists who might contribute something to the ambiance of the forthcoming Rail Trail. The instructor, Brian Rashap, is now handling the technical side of the project.

"Hopefully," Rosenberg said, "this will be part of reviving the area."

The final street fair of the summer will also take place this weekend at the Alvarado Transportation Center. This is a new monthly event that the city introduced this summer at the ATC and which I hope will continue next year and beyond.

https://x.com/abqride/status/1828885481125261367







Here are a few more nice recent pics of the completed mural on the east side of the Arrive Hotel structure from posters on Instagram. I just love the first pic with Ex Novo in the foreground, it's so moody!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-o5o_CRiqt/





https://www.instagram.com/p/C-wPW9du3SC/



Here also are a few recent pics of the new mural on the west side of Alvarado Square, which is nearing completion. The last two pics are from the beginning of the week and show that they are now painting the smaller portion of the mural on the other angle of the wall.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-ebNCWucak/



https://www.instagram.com/p/C_JIiyvN-nW/





The Albuquerque Journal earlier this week had a story about 516 Arts and its new executive director and the plans for its new space Downtown. Unfortunately, like other recent stories, they also don't bother to ask about what happened to the Sawmill Arts Center plans. They do give a few more details about the cost and size of the new downtown space, however. They also say that the existing space on Central Avenue will be sold after they move to the former Warehouse 508 space on 1st Street.

https://www.abqjournal.com/lifestyle...662b06458.html

April Chalay learned weaving, knitting and embroidery at her grandmother’s feet in small-town Illinois.

After a national search, the fiber artist was chosen as the new executive director of 516 Arts, Albuquerque’s non-collecting contemporary art museum. Chalay arrived as interim director upon 516 founder Suzanne Sbarge’s departure in October 2023.

“We couldn’t have put 516 Arts on a better track than with April Chalay as our new executive director,” said governing board chair Tim Price. “She did an amazing job carrying the organization through a transition period of the past year. We are fortunate to have the depth of her operational skills and her passionate vision to help us grow our impact on the broader arts community and in making a new and expanded space a reality.”

Chalay will lead the nonprofit arts organization as it expands into an old warehouse space at 508 First St. NW with the help of the city of Albuquerque. The new home offers 16,000 square feet of space compared to 5,000 at its current location.

“We need room to grow,” Chalay said. “We’re going to move for expanded exhibition space and also artist studios. We know that’s what this community needs. We would like to provide a space for that lively activity to take place.

“The city wants us in October 2025,” Chalay continued, adding the date is flexible. “We meet with the architects every week. We’ll play it by ear.”

The city and state are contributing more than $5 million to the effort, while 516 will fund the operating costs.

The current location at 516 Central Ave. SW will eventually be sold.

“Of course, we would love it to stay as an arts and culture location,” Chalay said.

Chalay earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in fiber and material studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She also holds a certificate in human resources management from Cornell University.

She came to New Mexico in 2014 as the operations director of the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center, then moved to deputy director of Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Art. She fell in love with nonprofit arts organizations.

“I love how collaborative it is,” she said. “People understand what you have, what your resources are and what your mission is.”

516 Arts will remain a non-collecting organization.

“When you become a space that has to store, market and catalog, that’s something very different,” Chalay said. “We are the place where you can be radical and experimental. We get to host it and provide conversations in the community”

The Downtown ABQ MainStreet Arts & Cultural District posted an invitation to a meeting next week at the Harwood Arts Center for the proposed Artspace project. They say it will be to "further investigate the project's feasibility, engage with key stakeholders, and outline the next steps"

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_RCx0CtFVV/

[ABQalex]

Here's another story by KRQE yesterday about the plans to transform the clock tower at the Alvarado Transportation Center into a working cuckoo clock.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...r-clock-tower/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A focal point in downtown Albuquerque is about to turn into something unexpected, a clocktower with feathers and even bird sounds. A local artist behind the project hopes the project will bring the Alvarado Transit Center clock tower back to life. She believes it will help revive downtown and bring some new charm. “So, I thought this would be the time to bring it back to life,” said Evelyn Rosenberg, Albuquerque-based artist.

Rosenberg is leading the team now transforming the Alvarado Transportation Center clock tower into something unexpected. “I saw that tower which had these little niches perfect for a cuckoo clock,” said Rosenberg.

It’s an idea that stemmed from a final project proposal in a CNM class focused on using technology in art. “The artist conceived of it during her class and she just wanted to bring some joy and a little bit of humor to the clock tower because a lot of people come through Central Ave.,” said Sherri Brueggemann, Public Art Division Manager for the City of Albuquerque.

The Downtown Cuckoo Clock will include birds in the slots at the top of the tower. Each one of those birds chirps with its own unique sound and, one of them the artist said will of course be a roadrunner.

“And they would come out in sequence first one, then two, then three. Then one then two then three. And the doors would be made by my technique which I’ve developed called detenography,” said Rosenberg.

The technique, which Rosenberg has used on art throughout New Mexico, uses explosives to mold metal into shape. She helped make the scales of justice outside Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

The cuckoo clock project will transform the transit center, a building that’s an homage to an old Albuquerque landmark. “The architecture is based on the old Alvarado hotel which used to be there and was torn down and had these little towers on the end,” said Rosenberg.

The goal is to get the project done within the next year. The crew that will be building out the project is still being finalized. They’re hope is it will be done in time for the Route 66 Centennial next year.

The project is being paid for with $97,000 in funding earmarked only for public art generated through the city’s 1.5% for the Arts Fund.

The clock tower of the ATC is based upon the original, taller tower of the Albuquerque train depot as it was built in 1902, along with the rest of the Alvarado Hotel complex. Over the years this tower was shortened and altered until it became the final squat tower that surmounted the Albuquerque depot when it burned down in 1993. A shorter and modified version of the original tower is also what was built above the new Amtrak/Greyhound station when the Alvarado Transportation Center was built in the early 2000s. Below are a few pics showing the progression of the old depot's tower.

(early 1900s, shortly after it was built and as it originally appeared)



(circa-1930s, about a decade after the first shortening of the structure)



(late-1960s, shortly before the Alvarado Hotel was torn down)



(early 1990s, shortly before the old depot burned down)



(mid-2010s, about 15 years after the ATC was built and showing how the train/bus station tower appears today)



As you can see, the ATC's clock tower more closely approximates the original depot tower in height and design. Below are a couple of more recent pics posted on Google showing the Amtrak and Greyhound station as it appears today. Notice that the tower was moved to face the entry court and street side, instead of the track side of the original depot tower.

[ABQalex]

Below is a story posted today by Fortune online about Roadrunner Venture Studios and its efforts to create a startup ecosystem in Albuquerque, part of a larger effort across the country. The story also mentions the recent investment of $50 million into the effort by the State Investment Council, $20 million specifically for the local studio. Roadrunner is headquartered in a renovated old warehouse in the Innovation District of Downtown Albuquerque.

https://fortune.com/2024/09/04/new-m...s-albuquerque/

In downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, Adam Hammer is showing me around the building of his newly-launched venture shop, called Roadrunner Venture Studios—an old mattress factory turned open-air office space where he hopes he can convince scientists, engineers, and deep-tech founders to come and build companies.

Hammer walks me over to a wall to the left of the front door—pointing to a graphic of technologies or companies that had their roots right there in New Mexico, but then moved elsewhere once they started to scale. Microsoft is the prominent example: Bill Gates and Paul Allen started building their first microcomputer software in Albuquerque before they moved the company to Bellevue, Wash. so they could be closer to the West Coast’s talent pool.

“What we’re trying to do is continue a legacy here in New Mexico of bold ideas— imaginative people,” Hammer says. This time around—he’s hoping his team can convince founders to stay.

Roadrunner Venture Studios is the first venture studio spinoff of America’s Frontier Fund (AFF), the venture capital arm of the policy and education-focused non-profit that is funded by the likes of Mark Cuban, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel. Roadrunner is the first of a series of studios AFF plans to scatter across the country, with the intention of helping scientists or researchers from national, university, or corporate laboratories get capital, recruiting help, and the resources they need to turn their work into viable commercial products. Behind it all is a mission to ensure that the U.S. continues to be dominant in innovation.

Albuquerque is where things will start—in part because of its proximity to Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Lab, the Air Force Research Lab, and the University of New Mexico. But also because the state’s sovereign wealth fund, the New Mexico State Investment Council, two weeks ago agreed to invest $50 million as an anchor check into Roadrunner’s first venture capital fund, approximately $20 million of which will go directly into Roadrunner itself. The sovereign wealth fund, which just started making venture capital investments a few years ago and has invested in deep tech-focused funds like Lux Capital, Playground Global, and Anzu Partners, has asked these funds in limited partner agreements to at least look at companies based in New Mexico. In the case of Roadrunner, it’s asking the studio to build companies in New Mexico.

“I obviously wanted it to start here, and was willing to anchor the fund to make sure that occurred,” says Chris Cassidy, who oversees the private equity investments of New Mexico’s sovereign wealth fund.

The premise of Roadrunner is to bridge the gap—what Hammer calls the “valley of death”—between the technology being invented and funded in laboratories in New Mexico and elsewhere, and turning the projects into commercially viable companies. Right now, Roadrunner is working with labs like Nokia Bell Labs, the University of Michigan, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Roadrunner’s new general partner, Mike Mettler, who is joining Roadrunner as part of this new fund, was out at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California last week, Hammer says, meeting directly with scientists and assessing which ideas might be ready for company creation. Hammer is hoping to get various stakeholders on the same page, from local municipalities and state governments to other venture capital firms. He touts Hydrosonics, one of the studio’s first three companies, which is building electrolysis technologies to enable affordable hydrogen fuel. Hydrosonics’ founder, Dr. Luis Chavez, had been a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory before starting a company with Roadrunner last year.

“We met Luis in one of our scouting trips,” Hammer says, explaining how Chavez moved to Albuquerque, set up shop here and within a year had raised approximately $875,000 in venture capital as well as non-dilutive funding from the Economic Development Department.

Gilman Louie, the CEO of America’s Frontier Fund who formerly ran the CIA-funded investment firm In-Q-Tel, says that Roadrunner Venture Studios is part of the investment side of AFF’s business, and that there is “no crossover” and “no financial interest” between its non-profit donors, including Schmidt, Thiel, or Cuban. “All of our philanthropy is kept separate from all of our for-profit activities,” he says, noting that Roadrunner will be squarely focused on working with scientists who need capital.

The problem with any kind of new studio or venture capital firm is that it can take a long time—sometimes a decade—to actually deliver meaningful results or returns. In the near term, SIC’s Cassidy will be monitoring how many companies and how much talent moves to Albuquerque as a result of Roadrunner and is hopeful that Albuquerque, with its renowned Christmas chile sauce and more affordable real estate, can have a startup scene that takes off—and sticks around—too.

“What we’re trying to do is build this center of gravity here,” Hammer says.

Here's a link and introductory quote to a piece by KRQE about an event that Roadrunner held today across the tracks at the Wool Warehouse.

https://www.krqe.com/news/community/...ech-companies/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Roadrunner Venture Studios transforms deep tech into new companies. The company is holding its second annual deep tech conference September 4 at the Wool Warehouse Theater in downtown Albuquerque.

The conference features top entrepreneurs, investors and researchers who will be on site and discussing trends and advances in technology, with a focus on innovation and commercialization. Roadrunner Venture Studios seeks to identify, develop and invest in deep tech companies. For more information on Roadrunner Venture and to connect with them, click here.

Here's a pic of the event which the city's Economic Development Department posted today. Mayor Keller attended and spoke at the event.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/city-...09514241-k7kj/



A kickoff event for the Roadrunner Technology Forum was held in Roadrunner's own gathering space yesterday as well. A new roadrunner mural by a local artist on one of its walls was unveiled during the event.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/micha...30383872-iHiV/







The sign that went up for Roadrunner Venture Studios is originally from Gallup and part of the Garcia family's neon sign collection that they have stored and displayed throughout Glorieta Station. As they said, the name fit and so they decided to use it for this new operation in their redevelopment project. It received a slight bit of touch ups and restoration work in preparation for displaying it in front of the structure.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0P4XA6PL3F/



Here are some pics of Roadrunner Venture Studios' new space that was completed late last year as part of the Glorieta Station redevelopment project. The first two pics are of the ribbon-cutting ceremony which took place at twilight back in December.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kzbla...74980354-Z4vv/

[ABQalex]

Another company located in the Innovation District, on the ground-floor of the Lobo Rainforest Building, looks like it is getting ready to expand its presence in Albuquerque. General Atomics has occupied its 1,800 sq ft space since shorty after the structure first opened back in August of 2017.

https://www.ga.com/general-atomics-o...orts-in-region

A building permit was issued last week to them for a project to renovate an existing 12,000 sq ft industrial structure located at the mouth of Tijeras Canyon on the city's east side. The permit is one of three for the renovation work. I'm uncertain whether General Atomics will keep its office in the Lobo Rainforest building or if they will move entirely to this new space. But hopefully this might mean an increase in its local workforce at least.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=188244297

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=191375108

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=191375878

The new General Atomics structure is the one farthest to the left in the third pic below, located at 14820 Central Avenue SE.

https://www.loopnet.com/portfolio-pr...ue-NM/6562059/







Here's another pic of the location looking the opposite direction. I've always thought that these structures are an unfortunate blight on the mostly pristine, picturesque and charming environment of Tijeras Canyon. I've always thought that it's bizarre we went to great lengths to preserve most of the Foothills from such development but this area at the eastern entrance to our city was spoiled this way. But hey, at least the buildings look to be productive in their use and reuse.

https://www.crexi.com/lease/properti...800-central-se

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque City Council tonight passed the redevelopment tax abatement requests for all four projects that were before them. That includes the Park Central redevelopment project in the shorter tower at San Mateo and Central.

https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-g...er-developers/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque City Council passed a tax break for developers looking to transform one of the vacant towers on San Mateo and Central Ave. into affordable housing. The tower used to be an office building.

Here's another nice rendering of the Park Central project that was included in last month's email newsletter from the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. It shows the view looking toward the southeast from San Mateo and Copper. You can also see the proposed mural that's part of the project and located next to the new pool area.

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported yesterday morning about a new restaurant and wine bar that's planned for EDo in the former 2Gs Bistro space at 414 Central Avenue SE. The couple behind the project are aiming to open Wolf N' Swallow this fall, as early as next month.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

New restaurant/wine bar coming to EDo

He home-delivered his charcuterie boards during the pandemic, plans to offer caviar, puts a piece of honeycomb on dessert cheese plates, and builds menus on the fly while shopping for ingredients. She studied sculpture at Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts, just returned from doing hair on a movie set in Ireland, and has taken a deep dive into the world of wine. Together, the husband-and-wife team of Ryan Houlihan and Jennifer Jane are aiming to open Wolf N' Swallow, a restaurant and wine bar, this fall in the former 2G's Bistro at Central and Edith.

"We're trying to find a happy medium between fine dining and casual cafe," Houlihan said. "I don't want it to be white linens, but I still want it to be an experience."

Since the couple moved to Albuquerque two years ago, Houlihan has been establishing himself as a chef by catering and cooking at pop-up food events and private parties under the Wolf N' Swallow name. He grew up working in restaurants and hotels, first in Michigan and then for some 15 years in New Orleans, arriving there just after 2005's Hurricane Katrina and leaving after 2021's Hurricane Ida gave him and Jane a strong hint that it was time to go.

When not laboring on far-flung movie sets, Jane has often worked alongside Houlihan. In Wolf N' Swallow's new digs, she will run the restaurant's front-of-house operation and take charge of all things wine, Houlihan said.

Jane's stint as an exchange student in France "pretty much started her love for wine," Houlihan added. She has schooled herself formally through Wine and Spirit Education Trust trainings while also seizing informal opportunities, like having dinner at a vineyard owner's home during a weekend getaway to Bordeaux from that Irish movie set.

"We recently took a trip from Washington state all the way down the Pacific coast to explore West Coast wines," he said. "Food and wine are two things that you never stop learning."

The bar will serve only wine at first, he said, but down the road they plan to apply for the relatively new state license that will allow them to serve spirits distilled in New Mexico.

Houlihan is ramping up to cook specials and prepare plenty of "small bits, things like roasted olives, almonds, a seasonal deviled egg, and Conservas (tinned fish) with fresh baked bread and house-made butter."

Meanwhile, renovation work is underway on the building, and there's plenty left to do, Houlihan said. A hood vent for the stove and some other restaurant essentials were already in place, but basics like plumbing and ADA accessibility needed lots of attention. When feeling optimistic, he projects an October grand opening.

While the suitability of the building is what brought Wolf N' Swallow to EDo, Houlihan said, the surrounding neighborhood looks to him like a promising place to do business. He likes the collection of nearby restaurants and the newly reopened Imperial Motel.

"It's an area that's ripe for becoming a little walkable food and entertainment venue," he said.

Here are few pics of the space from reviews of the former 2G's Bistro on Yelp. As you can see, it occupies and is part of a complex of two former historic homes on Central Avenue that are sandwiched between the newer Arno Lofts structure and the older commercial structure where the venerable Artichoke Cafe is located.

There is also a nice little patio/outdoor dining space in the back of the two structures and surrounded by other structures that is somewhat reminiscent of the hidden plazuelas/courtyards of Old Town. It even has a name like those Old Town plazuelas, Plaza Escalante.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/2gs-bistro-albuquerque-2

[ABQalex]

Another business to open recently in EDo is Heck Yeah Vintage, which opened back in June in the former Craft Hair Studio space at 512 Central Avenue SE.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C89nQO6uYU7/



https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Cn5ATpZSa/



https://www.instagram.com/p/C8ONjntOc1p/



Craft Hair Studio itself moved nearby to a structure that they renovated on Edith Boulevard just south of the Artichoke Cafe. They moved into the completed space at the beginning of the year and had their grand opening back in May. (Be sure to click the first two links below as they are short videos)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6l7ZVFrCLf/



https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3sdWfErocB/



https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Ko31dOq2i/



A small townhouse/apartment project was also recently completed in this immediate area, across the street from Craft Hair Studio. The former commercial structure at 500 Central Avenue SE was converted into four residential units.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwYyVorf0i/?img_index=2





Here's the final plan by Homewise to replace the historic structure that they were renovating into apartments but which burned down last year. It will be replaced by six townhouse-style apartments. The structure is designed to look like a single family home along High Street, with the rest of the units extending to the west behind the front unit. It was approved by the Landmarks commission back in January.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...021-005685.pdf

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...H%201.5.23.pdf











This final plan comes after neighborhood opposition to their first plan. That first plan also had six units, but in more of a pure row setup that extended closer to the street. The neighbors objected to that, saying that the setback of other homes should be respected. That's despite the fact that the previous structure had a historic commercial addition that was built up to the sidewalk and broke up that setback for about 80 years.















There's hardly a consistent setback on this block particularly. The two homes on either side themselves are setback at slightly different lengths and the northern half of the block is occupied by a historic commercial structure that is also built up to the street and has a parking lot right at the corner of High Street and Central. But of course NIMBYs always have to find a reason to complain or have an issue with a completely sensible and desirable plan. Either way, I'm glad it looks like something will replace the old structure soon!







Here's a pic and link to a recent post on Twitter which caused a bit of wonder and speculation as to whether a new tenant might be coming to the former Milton's/Gravy/Whole Hog Cafe space that is such a prominent fixture in EDo. Alas, it seems the new sign is just for a film shoot taking place in the empty structure. This was confirmed in the comment thread for the post. But it sparked hopes and dreams, at least for a moment, of a new tenant in the mid-century modern/googie landmark.

https://twitter.com/AlbuquerqueTurk/...44580645409084







Finally, here are a few nice pics of the area that have been posted recently on Instagram and LinkedIn that I thought I'd take this opportunity to share. The first is a pic of Highland Park with the Albuquerque Press Club structure beyond. The second pic is from the Press Club's balcony overlooking Downtown Albuquerque. You can spot the grand historic home that's next to where the new Homewise project will be built. The next two pics are from the Hotel Parq Central's rooftop lounge. The last pic is an awesome view down Central Avenue with EDo in the foreground and Downtown proper beyond.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update...6288334700545/





https://www.instagram.com/p/C-TkQa2S6ZO/



https://www.instagram.com/p/C-vCrbtOvKt/



https://www.instagram.com/p/C8xtPs0PVBN/