Constructed 1932. The Onate Theater opened in 1932 with a seating capacity of 600 patrons. Named for the original Spanish colonizer of New Mexico, the Onate served as Belen’s main cinema until it was closed in the early 1990s. Local entrepreneur Anthony Baca purchased the theater in 1993 and converted Read more…
Constructed 1937. The original Belen City Hall was completed by the WPA in 1937. The building still belongs to the city, but is no longer in use. With assistance from New Mexico MainStreet, Belen MainStreet recently completed a Facade Squad on the building, painting and repairing the exterior of the Read more…
Constructed 1915. The Central Hotel is similar in architectural style and construction to its more substantial neighbor across the street, the Belen Hotel. The Central also thrived on the heavy railroad commerce ushered into Belen by the Santa Fe railroad after the Belen Cut-off was completed in 1907. The Central Read more…
Constructed 1909. The construction of the Belen cut-off railroad line through central New Mexico in 1907 was a great boon for the village of Belen. Within two years, the Santa Fe Railroad constructed a handsome depot and Harvey Hotel in the familiar Mission Revival style. Today, the Harvey House has Read more…
Constructed 1910. The Belen Hotel was quickly built to accommodate the surging railroad business enabled by the rerouting of the major Santa Fe Railroad train traffic through Clovis and the so-called Belen cut-off. The building was purchased over a decade ago by famed artist Judy Chicago and her husband Donald Read more…
The Abo Pass Trail Scenic Byway (31 miles; N.M. 47 and U.S. 60) connects the El Camino Real National Scenic Byway and the Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway. Start your journey in Belen, settled as a farming and railroad community in the Rio Grande Valley. Traveling southeast, the road crosses Read more…
Constructed 1930. Completed in 1930 and listed on both the state and national historic register, the Federal Building is a striking combination of Mediterranean style and decorative Indian design motifs. While not a WPA building, it does contain two notable pieces of WPA art. “The Rebellion of 1680” by Loren Read more…
The 6’x4′ oil painting “Conchas Dam”, by Odon Hullenkremer, hangs on the 8th floor and depicts scenes that occurred during the construction of the Conchas Dam. Located on the eastern side of the state, the dam was completed in 1939 at a cost of $15.8 million. — Source “Treasures on Read more…
Constructed 1924. The Sunshine Theater, opened on May 1, 1924 as Albuquerque’s first big movie palace. The theater and high rise building block Sunshine Building were designed by renowned El Paso architect Henry C. Trost and have dominated the downtown Albuquerque skyline and historic Route 66 for nearly a century. Read more…
Constructed 1920. Silver Hill is a neighborhood in southeast Albuquerque which is significant as one of the oldest developments on the city’s east mesa. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Central Avenue, Yale Boulevard, Central New Mexico Community College and the UNM campus. The early to mid-Twentieth Century neighborhood features Read more…