Editorial: Mayor wants Central returned to neon glory

Mayor Richard J. Berry wants to brighten up Albuquerque’s Central Avenue.

The 15 miles of the city’s historic main street is the longest urban section of Old Route 66 still intact. While businesses along some parts of Central still proudly display neon signs, other areas could use a cheerful neon face-lift and the Nob Hill and Highland areas prohibit freestanding signs, limiting use of the iconic signs.

Berry wants to change that and is preparing to toss out some incentives for businesses to adopt “the neon challenge.” He is shepherding a package of zoning and design proposals that would, among other things, allow bigger signs and freestanding signs — but they would have to be at least 50 percent neon and incorporate creative shapes and designs.

After World War II and into the ’50s, U.S. Route 66, often called The Mother Road, was a popular road between Chicago and Los Angeles for travelers and truckers. Established in 1926, it wound through spectacular scenery and connected the main streets of small towns lined with mom and pop businesses.

And beckoning those travelers to stop for a bite or a clean bed were vibrant, colorful neon signs.

Many old Route 66 towns have been bypassed by the interstate highway system now, but cities and towns and preservation groups have worked to keep Historic Route 66 alive and ticking.

The mayor is joining that parade. He, like those mom and pop businesses of another era, wants to draw travelers into the heart of the city.

“We’re trying to get people off the interstates as they drive through Albuquerque, get onto Central and spend some of their disposable income in our restaurants and shops, see and do interesting things in our city before they move on,” Berry said.

Returning Central to its neon glory is an idea with a past and a future.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.