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Sunshine Building/Sunshine Theater

Introduction

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The Sunshine Building is one of Albuquerque's most recognizable and active entertainment spots. This six-story building was done by the famed Henry C. Trost in 1924. Until the 1970s it held offices, jewlwery stores, and a theater palace (920 seats); the theater palace being Albuquerque's first. By 1980, the offices and jewelry store closed down and the theater was converted into a venue for concerts. The first film played in the Sunshine was "Scaramouche" in 1923. Now the building houses some offices and used for concerts. It's famed neon sign which attracted tourists was unfortunately taken down and moved elsewhere. In television, the exterior of the building was used to designate the site of a fictional US Marshals Witness Protection service building for the show, "In Plain Sight."


Images

  • Circa 1940s-1950s photo of the Sunshine Building. Courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum
  • The Sunshine Building as seen today
  • Back of the building as seen from 2nd Street.
  • Night photo of neon sign, circa 1930s-1940s. Courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum
  • Looking down Central Ave. SW, circa 1940s-1950s. Sunshine Building seen on the left, especially the neon sign. Courtesy of the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society.
  • Promotional ad for TV show, "In Plain Sight." (2008-2012)
  • Promotional ad for 1923 film, "Scaramouch."

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The Sunshine Building is a historic structure in downtown Albuquerque, in the U.S. state of New Mexico, at the intersection of Central Avenue and Second Street. The six-story building was designed by the El Paso firm of Trost & Trost and built in 1924, originally housing offices and a 920-seat movie theater. It is of reinforced concrete construction, with a facade of yellow brick. F. D. Fogg and Company, Jewelers, operated a fine jewelry store in the building from 1948 until the 1970s. The store's classic neon sign and pink marble facade were recognized downtown Albuquerque landmarks throughout that period

The Sunshine Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and has been designated as a Historic Landmark by the city. The TV Show, In Plain Sight filmed the exterior of this location, as the fictional office of the US Marshal's Witness Protection Service.

The Sunshine Theater, which occupies a significant portion of the building, was Albuquerque's first movie palace. The first film shown there was Scaramouche, starring Ramón Novarro and accompanied by a special orchestra for the occasion. The theater stopped showing first-run movies in 1974 and closed completely in the 1980s, but has since been remodeled into a popular live music venue. The Sunshine Theater has hosted a number of notable acts such as The Strokes, Snoop Dogg, Deltron 3030, Stone Temple Pilots, The Smashing Pumpkins, Queens of the Stone Age, The Dead Weather, Arctic Monkeys, Modest Mouse, Rancid, Coheed and Cambria, Awolnation, Cannibal Corpse, Ratatat, Social Distortion, Pennywise, Hollywood Undead, Deftones, Nightwish, Melanie Martinez, Damien Marley and Deadmau5 among others. The Sunshine Theater's set up is an open floor, a large balcony, and a bar that seats a 21 and older audience, in all they accommodate about 1,000 people. The theater is the most popular venue in the Albuquerque metro area to accommodate smaller but still notable acts, many with five or more shows in one month.

Sources

"Sunshine Building". City of Albuquerque Planning Department.

"Historic Landmarks". City of Albuquerque Planning Department. 

Potts, Leanne (July 22, 2003). "Sunshine Theater's Appeal Is Its All-Ages Music Shows". Albuquerque Journal. NM. pp. A5.

Additional Information