Ground broken on Luna Lodge project

A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week for a project that will convert the historic Luna Lodge motel in Albuquerque into a 30-unit affordable housing development, according to a news release from Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, one of the lenders on the project.

More from the release:

The developer of the project, NewLife Homes in Albuquerque, is converting Luna Lodge, a former motel on Route 66 that is listed on the National Historic Registry, into new housing. The project involves rehabbing 14 existing units and constructing 16 new units. Demolition of certain interior portions of the hotel is already underway, and construction has begun on the new portion of the structure. […]

Many of the businesses along historic Route 66 attended the groundbreaking ceremony and provided lunch items from their restaurants.

John Bloomfield, executive director of NewLife Homes, was pleased the project was underway.

“The city has had a policy for many years to rehab these dying motels that have closed down, but to my knowledge no one has done it yet,” Mr. Bloomfield said. “We’re hoping to be a catalyst for redevelopment along Central Avenue. The area where Luna Lodge is located is kind of a blighted area that has been neglected and we believe that because we do very high quality developments, this project will encourage other parties to get involved in the east central section of Albuquerque.”

According to a previous report, the redevelopment will preserve the Luna Lodge’s Pueblo-style architecture. The Luna, at 9119 Central Ave. (aka Route 66) was built in 1950 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It’s been vacant for several years.

Here is an artist’s rendering of the redeveloped Luna Lodge:

(Images courtesy of NewLife Homes and Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas)

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