Farm and Ranch Graffiti on a beached box car. In 1980, a riot broke out at the New Mexico State Penitentiary in Santa Fe, NM. It turned into the most deadly prison riot in U.S. history. The graffiti on the box car is a rather bold reminder for us folks who remember the Penitentiary riot.
This mural is on the south wall of the condemned building on 2nd Street and Central Avenue (Old Route 66). It’s the same building that has the Route 66 mural on its north wall that I posted on January 19th. The depiction of the torn newspaper bearing the headline: Moronic Officials Destroy Historic Landmarks refers to the Historic Alvarado Hotel that stood along the railroad tracks from 1909 to 1970 when it was demolished. The site sat vacant, used as a parking lot, until 2002 when the first phase of the Albuquerque Alvarado Transportation Center was completed in the style of the Alvarado Hotel. A second phase was completed in 2006. While many historic buildings in downtown Albuquerque where torn down during the urban renewal craze of the 1960’s, it was the Santa Fe Railroad who demolished the Alvarado Hotel in 1970.
The dance was really fun. We’ll have another dance the first Friday in April!
Off Center & Not Even 