As I noted in my post on Las Vegas, New Mexico, New Mexico has had two very different Route 66 “alignments.” Originally there was no road straight across New Mexico, so the first Route 66, from 1926 to 1934, curved north through Santa Fe, then south through Albuquerque, then west.
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| New Mexico's 2 Route 66 "alignments" (from route66roadtrip.com) |
This original alignment is known today as the Santa Fe Loop of Route 66.
The original Route 66 goes through Albuquerque on 4th Street Northwest and then 4th Street Southwest. Just south of downtown, 4th Street Southwest runs through a neighborhood called Barelas. When 4th Street Southwest was Route 66, Barelas was full of shops serving Route 66 travelers as well as local residents, many of whom worked at a nearby railyard. After Route 66 was rerouted onto Central Avenue in the 1930s, Barelas businesses continued to serve local residents through the 1950s, when the business district began to decline. Today it is the Barelas-South Fourth Street National Historic District.
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| Barelas neighborhood banner |
The historic district is only about 5 blocks long, so it’s very walkable. We started our 2022 walking tour with a great breakfast at Barelas Coffee House.
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| Barelas Coffee House |
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| Barelas Coffee House interior |
Just a couple of doors north of Barelas Coffee House is the former Garcia y Sanchez General Merchandise Store.
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| Former Garcia y Sanchez General Merchandise Store in Barelas |
The former Garcia y Sanchez store is at 1418 Barelas Road Southwest, adjacent to the intersection of 4th Street Southwest and Barelas Road Southwest. It was built around 1890, which makes it one of the oldest buildings in Barelas.
On the northwest corner of 4th Street Southwest and Barelas Road Southwest is the striking Joseph Baca Plaza.
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| Joseph Baca Plaza in Barelas |
Next to the plaza is the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, with a statue of Dr. John Aragon, one of Barelas’s leading citizens.
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| Statue of Dr. John Aragon in front of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce |
A couple of doors north of the Chamber of Commerce is the former Red Ball Café, with its round neon sign still on top.
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| Former Red Ball Cafe in Barelas |
The Red Ball Café started life before 1922 as a home. It was converted to a restaurant and saw some art-deco-inspired additions through 1942. It was famous for its “Wimpy Burger” inspired by Popeye cartoons.
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| Another view of the Red Ball Cafe in Barelas |
About 2 doors north of the Red Ball Café is the former Figaro Barber Shop at 1223 4th Street Southwest.
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| Former Figaro Barber Shop in Barelas |
A few buildings north of the barber shop is a really cool Streamline Moderne building at 1211 4th Street Southwest.
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| Streamline Moderne home at 1211 4th Street Southwest in Barelas |
The former Kandy’s Food Market is at 1200 4th Street Southwest.
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| Former Kandy's Food Market in Barelas |
Just north of Kandy’s is the former Navajo Super Service Station at 1124 4th Street Southwest.
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| Former Navajo Super Service Station in Barelas |
The unassuming building at 1115 4th Street Southwest was once a Piggly Wiggly Market. Piggly Wigglys were the first supermarket chain in the United States.
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| Former Piggly Wiggly Market in Barelas |
The former Arrow Super Market at 1101 4th Street Southwest still has its original neon sign.
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| Former Arrow Super Market in Barelas |
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| Former Magnolia Service Station in Barelas |
The former Hi-Way Service Station is at 1024 4th Street Southwest. I love the cool tile roof and the brackets under the eaves.
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| Former Hi-Way Service Station in Barelas |
The building next door has beautiful murals on the front and side.
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| Mural on Southwest 4th Street in Barelas |
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| Another mural on the side of the same building in Barelas |
Across the street, at 1015 4th Street Southwest, is the former Martin Pena Barber Shop.
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| Former Martin Pena Barber Shop in Barelas |
The house behind the barber shop was built before 1902. The barber shop was added to the front in the 1940s.
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| Garcia-Lopez House in Barelas |
The Garcia-Lopez House, at 1003 4th Street Southwest, was built around 1902-1908. It’s one of the oldest buildings on this street and typical of the homes built for railroad employees in those days.
On the next block, at 929 4th Street Southwest, is the former Durand Motor Company.
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| Former Durand Motor Company in Barelas |
The Durand Motor Company was built in 1940. The curved center roofline and tower are typical of the Streamline Moderne style popular at the time.
Across the street is the former Tasty Freeze Drive-In at 910 4th Street Southwest. It was built between 1957 and 1962.
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| Former Tasty Freeze Drive-in in Barelas |
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| Another view of the Tasty Freeze |
The Tasty Freeze looks straight out of American Graffiti!
Our last stop was the former Mike’s Food Store, built in 1953.
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| Former Mike's Food Store |
Mike’s, at 907 4th Street Southwest, is a nice
example of the International architectural style popular in the mid-20th
century. Notice that the bricks are stacked straight up and down rather than
staggered, and everything is very rectangular.
We really enjoyed our walk through the Barelas district. As you can see, it doesn’t have fancy buildings—it was just a community of everyday people trying to serve both Route 66 travelers and their neighbors. It reminded me of Seligman, Arizona, and Amarillo's 6th Avenue. I hope someday enough shops reopen to attract more Route 66 visitors. In the meanwhile, we moved on to Albuquerque’s Central Avenue, which was Route 66 starting in 1937 and is a lot flashier!
UPDATE: A reader noted that many of the buildings are "immaculately" restored and asked who did the restoration. The short answer is I don't know. The long answer: My two main sources for info on Barelas were the National Park Service, and the Society for Architectural Historians' Archipedia. (There are other online sources like Wikipedia, but they basically repeat what's in these two sources.) Both sources point to the 1993 construction of the National Hispanic Cultural Center a block south of Barelas Coffee House as spurring the revitalization of Barelas, but they're vague on where the resources came from or, even more important, who exactly organized and led the revitalization. I did find an organization called Barelas Community Coalition that seems to be working
I was struck during our walking tour that the revitalization was clearly aimed at serving the community, not attracting Route 66 visitors. The Barelas Community Coalition aims to "limit the negative effects of development and gentrification." While a stronger focus on attracting Route 66 visitors could help drive Barelas' economic engine, it might also change the neighborhood's culture. Today Barelas gave us a more authentic experience of what a Route 66 neighborhood was once like before souvenir shops, museums, and visitor centers move in.
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