ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Drive along Central near the University of New Mexico, and you will encounter a piece of history. This tiny police substation may soon be on the move as part of the upcoming celebration of the Route 66 centennial.
Story continues below
Shelley Sanchez, the director of Arts and Culture for the City of Albuquerque, said, “It’s not crazy to think that we could move it again to its next long-term home on another piece of Route 66.” Currently, the substation is located at the corner of Girard and Central, but the city is planning to relocate it entirely. The substation was originally a Valentine Diner, one of the many prefabricated diners that became popular in the 1930s and could be easily moved.
Sanchez said, “These were kind of tiny, ready-to-go diners that people could purchase. They could seat anywhere from three to maybe 12 people. If you wanted to start a restaurant, you could just buy one, have it delivered by train, and be ready to go.” In fact, this substation was not at its current location for long, as it was situated at 8th and Central just 30 years ago.
The city aims to move the diner to the Route 66 Visitor Center in time for the centennial next year. However, the center has faced controversy. An investigation by Larry Barker revealed that the city spent $320,000 to furnish the building without proper oversight, and the building is still not open to the public. The city has indicated that this could change by the end of the summer as they are working to hire staff for the center.
They plan to convert the substation back into a diner, creating a historical exhibit connected to the Mother Road. “When we move it to a place like the Visitor Center, where we will have staff starting later this summer, we can open it to the public so that people can actually go into this space,” said Sanchez.
It remains unclear how much the move will cost, but the city expects to have a better estimate of its feasibility by the end of summer. Sanchez added, “Before we make the final decision as the administration and the department, we want to finish those conversations to ensure we are really hearing what everyone needs from this process.”
If approved, the relocation could take place by fall of this year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
