Sunshine Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sunshine Building |
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Central Ave. facade
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| Location | 120 Central Ave. SW Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Trost & Trost |
| Architectural style(s) | Renaissance Revival |
| Designated | March 8, 1985 |
| Reference no. | 1170 |
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Albuquerque Historic Landmark
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The Sunshine Building is a famous six-story building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was built in 1924 by Joseph Barnett, who owned local theaters. The building is home to the Sunshine Theater and also has offices and shops.
For many years, the Sunshine Theater mostly showed movies. It also hosted Vaudeville shows and other live performances. Since 1990, it has been a popular place for live music concerts. Many well-known bands have played there. The Sunshine Building is an important historical site. It was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1985. It is also an Albuquerque City Landmark.
The building was designed by the El Paso company Trost & Trost. It is made of strong reinforced concrete and has a yellow brick front. Its style is called Renaissance Revival. The building was once known for having what people thought was the last elevator in New Mexico that was operated by hand.
A jewelry store called F. D. Fogg and Company was in the building for a long time. They were there from 1948 to 1985. The company closed down in 2004 after being in business for 83 years. The TV show In Plain Sight used the outside of the building for its fictional office. This office was for the US Marshals' Witness Protection Service.
Contents
Building History: When Was It Built?
The Sunshine Building was built between 1923 and 1924. It was built by Joseph Barnett (1866–1954). He was an Italian-American businessman. Barnett came to Albuquerque in 1896 with no money. He worked hard in the saloon and theater business. He became one of the city's biggest property owners.
By the 1920s, Barnett already owned two theaters in Albuquerque. These were the B Theater and the Lyric. But he planned an even bigger theater for his new building. It would also have five floors of offices. The Sunshine Building was built where the White Elephant building used to be. That old building was made of adobe in 1881. It once had a popular gambling hall and saloon.
The El Paso company Trost & Trost designed the Sunshine Building. They also designed other buildings nearby. These include the Rosenwald Building, Occidental Life Building, and First National Bank Building.
Grand Opening of the Sunshine Theater
The Sunshine Theater opened on May 1, 1924. The first movie shown was Scaramouche starring Ramón Novarro. The theater could seat 1,200 people. It had central heating and cooling. It was also built with fireproof reinforced concrete.
It was advertised as "the most modern and beautiful theater in the southwest." People thought it was Albuquerque's first true movie palace. The Albuquerque Journal newspaper said the opening was a "grand success." The theater was full for many showings. The theater was set up for both movies and live shows. This included the traveling Vaudeville shows popular in the 1920s. The building also had 73 office rooms on the upper floors. There were five commercial spaces on the ground floor.
Changes Over the Years
In 1935, Joseph Barnett combined his theater businesses with the Bachechi family's theaters. This included the KiMo Theater. This meant most of Albuquerque's theaters were owned by the same group. By 1952, this company, Albuquerque Exhibitors, ran 10 local theaters. They had 170 employees.
In 1956, the company leased its theaters to Frontier Theaters from Texas. Then, in 1967, Commonwealth Theaters took over. Commonwealth decided not to continue the lease on the Sunshine in 1974. They said not enough customers were coming. So, the theater stopped showing new movies. Later, it showed classic movies from the 1930s and 1940s. After that, it showed Spanish-language films.
Saving the Sunshine Building
In 1983, there was a plan to tear down the Sunshine Building. The idea was to build a large "Festival Marketplace." Supporters thought this project would make the empty area around First and Central lively again. But people who wanted to save old buildings were against tearing it down. They formed a "Save the Sunshine" committee.
The debate was even reported in a national magazine called Preservation News in 1984. In the end, the project was stopped. The Sunshine Building was saved. In 1990, the Sunshine Theater was changed into a live music venue. One of the first bands to play there was Soundgarden on February 14, 1990. The theater is still one of Albuquerque's most popular concert spots. It continues to host live music today.
Building Design: What Does It Look Like?
The Sunshine Building has six stories. It is made of concrete and is on the corner of Second Street and Central Avenue. The building is about 85 feet (26 meters) tall. It covers an area of about 75 by 140 feet (23 by 43 meters).
The ground floor is covered with marble. The upper floors have yellow brick. The building's style is called Renaissance Revival. It has fancy brickwork and columns called pilasters. There is also a heavy cornice (a decorative molding) and a balustraded parapet (a low wall with railings). The building is also decorated with swags, medallions, and other ornaments.
Like the nearby First National Bank Building, the Sunshine Building was built with blank walls on two sides. This was to fit next to other buildings. By the 1980s, the Sunshine Building was the only one left on its block. Some people didn't like the "not so handsome" blank wall facing traffic. In 2001, the Century Theatres Downtown building was built next to the Sunshine. This covered up the blank walls.
Inside the Sunshine Building
The building has shops on the ground floor. There are five floors of offices around the central theater space. When it first opened, the theater had 800 seats on the main floor and 400 seats on the balcony. Most of the seats were removed when it became a live music venue.
The stage opening, called the proscenium arch, is 27 feet (8.2 meters) wide and 24 feet (7.3 meters) high. The fly gallery (where stage scenery is stored) is 52 feet (16 meters) high from the stage. You can reach the balcony by stairs on both sides of the theater. There is a mezzanine level with restrooms. The office part of the building has its own entrance lobby on Second Street. The building was famous for having what was thought to be the last manually operated elevator in New Mexico. Elevator operators worked there until at least 1989.
Sunshine Theater: A Popular Music Venue
The Sunshine Theater is a big part of the building. It was a movie theater from 1924 until the 1980s. Now, it's a very popular place for live music concerts. The Sunshine Theater has hosted many famous bands and artists.
Some of the notable acts include The Strokes, Snoop Dogg, Soulfly, Stone Temple Pilots, The Smashing Pumpkins, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Modest Mouse, Rancid, Coheed and Cambria, Awolnation, Cannibal Corpse, Social Distortion, Pennywise, Hollywood Undead, Deftones, Nightwish, Melanie Martinez, Damian Marley and Deadmau5.
The Sunshine Theater has an open floor for standing, a large balcony, and a bar area for people aged 21 and older. It can hold about 1,000 people. It's the most popular place in Albuquerque for smaller but still well-known bands. Many months, it hosts five or more shows. On January 28, 2023, the band Soulfly with Max Cavalera was given the key to the city at the venue by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller (politician).
Images for kids
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Central Ave. facade
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The Second Street facade (west side) of the Sunshine Building
See also
In Spanish: Sunshine Building para niños
