What’s in a name? As far as Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was concerned, not much. In 1859, when it began its interstate mission, the railroad planned to lay track from Kansas, to our capital city. But by the late 1870’s, the line had shifted its route, sending its train through easier terrain just south, to Lamy. Our town’s once touted railyard, instead of becoming a bustling transportation center, remained a sleepy, dusty patch of land, a drop off point for the few tourists who bothered to take a side trip on the 18 mi spur. With only some light industrial business, including a coal yard, a fuel station and a few warehouses at the Santa Fe Builders Supply Company (now known as Sanbusco), the Santa Fe Railyard for most of the 20th century remained largely vacant-a nowhere land off the fringes of a growing town, playing the lonely sister to the prettier, more popular Santa Fe Plaza.
All that’s about to change. After a 20 year process, Santa Fe’s Railyard is getting an extreme makeover. This Spring, if all goes according to schedule, this open chuck of land, some 50 acres edged by Cerrillos Road and South Guadalupe with a spur to the Baca Street area-and one of the last remaining undeveloped spots within the city will play host to ribbon-cutting ceremonies for a network of walking and biking trails, a half million-square feet of new buildings, and a massive 12 acre people friendly park. The first to open in March, will be phase I of the Art Yard live-work spaces, a model for in town sustainable, and mixed-use building practices. On its heels: the 17,000 square-foot Farmer’s Market building (featuring community and restaurant spaces), a new home for the teen center Warehouse 21, and Market Station, a 125,000 square-foot metropolis of shops anchored by REI. Construction on a 10-screen cinema and two more ArtYard live/work buildings is scheduled to start this year, and the Railrunner’s commuter trains, coming from downtown Albuquerque, should begin pulling into the station in late 2008. No doubt, the project, estimated at an economical $125 million, has been a long time coming, but many think the wait will have been worth it. This development promises to provide a vibrant new gathering space for Santa Feans and tourists alike, as well as a progressive new model for urban planning.
What’s in a name? As far as Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was concerned, not much. In 1859, when it began its interstate mission, the railroad planned to lay track from Kansas, to our capital city. But by the late 1870’s, the line had shifted its route, sending its train through easier terrain just south, to Lamy. Our town’s once touted railyard, instead of becoming a bustling transportation center, remained a sleepy, dusty patch of land, a drop off point for the few tourists who bothered to take a side trip on the 18 mi spur. With only some light industrial business, including a coal yard, a fuel station and a few warehouses at the Santa Fe Builders Supply Company (now known as Sanbusco), the Santa Fe Railyard for most of the 20th century remained largely vacant-a nowhere land off the fringes of a growing town, playing the lonely sister to the prettier, more popular Santa Fe Plaza.
All that’s about to change. After a 20 year process, Santa Fe’s Railyard is getting an extreme makeover. This Spring, if all goes according to schedule, this open chuck of land, some 50 acres edged by Cerrillos Road and South Guadalupe with a spur to the Baca Street area-and one of the last remaining undeveloped spots within the city will play host to ribbon-cutting ceremonies for a network of walking and biking trails, a half million-square feet of new buildings, and a massive 12 acre people friendly park. The first to open in March, will be phase I of the Art Yard live-work spaces, a model for in town sustainable, and mixed-use building practices. On its heels: the 17,000 square-foot Farmer’s Market building (featuring community and restaurant spaces), a new home for the teen center Warehouse 21, and Market Station, a 125,000 square-foot metropolis of shops anchored by REI. Construction on a 10-screen cinema and two more ArtYard live/work buildings is scheduled to start this year, and the Railrunner’s commuter trains, coming from downtown Albuquerque, should begin pulling into the station in late 2008. No doubt, the project, estimated at an economical $125 million, has been a long time coming, but many think the wait will have been worth it. This development promises to provide a vibrant new gathering space for Santa Feans and tourists alike, as well as a progressive new model for urban planning.
