Find out the history behind the Jones Motor Company building on Central

Editor’s note: The Journal continues “What’s in a Name?,” a once a month column in which Elaine D. Briseño will give a short history of how places in New Mexico got their names.

These days, Nob Hill is known for its nightlife, entertainment and trendy shops.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, Central Avenue served a more utilitarian purpose centered around car culture. And few buildings are more iconic or longer lasting along the East Central corridor than the old Jones Motor Company property on the southwest corner of Central Avenue and Wellesley Drive.

The building no longer bears the Jones name, but there are remnants of its days as a gas station, service station and car dealership. Gen X and millennials most likely remember the building as Kellys Brew Pub.

Kellys was founded in 1997, more than a decade before watering holes for craft beer began booming in Albuquerque. It was one of the city’s first local craft beer establishments and moved to the historic location in 1999. A large patio buffeted by Central Avenue made Kellys a staple for happy hours. Change of ownership in 2016 and a legal battle over wages would bookend the pub’s time at the spot, but it wasn’t the end for the historic building.

M’tucci’s opened its Bar Roma restaurant at the historic spot in 2022. A white pole topped by a round sign mimics those once seen everywhere along Route 66. Signature garage doors with “SERVICE” written across the top, and the decorative red and white gas tanks on its patio, which once served as the car lot, are a nod to its beginnings.

Ralph F. Jones opened the motor company in November 1939, hence the name. Jones was a native of LaGrange, Wyoming, born Nov. 8, 1895, and fought in France during WWI, according to his April 1980 obituary. He attended Greeley Business School in Greeley, Colorado, before joining the armed forces. After the war, he married his wife Mary. The union resulted in two daughters and three sons.

Jones was no stranger to the automobile and its impact on the local economy. He was president of the Route 66 Association and the Chamber of Commerce, as well as chairman of the New Mexico State Highway Commission.

An Albuquerque Journal article mentioned that his son Franklin Jones would be “associated with management.” The younger Jones was a senior at the University of New Mexico at the time. Jones came to Albuquerque from Springer, where he “conducted” a Ford dealership for 11 years, according to the same story.

He built his 7,400-square-foot business on the corner so it was accessible from two sides. The gas pumps were placed at an angle to the building for easy access from the street no matter which entrance they used.

Nob Hill itself was a burgeoning new community when Jones opened his station. Col. DKB Sellers plotted the first addition to the neighborhood in 1916 followed by additions in 1925 and 1926. Arrival of the railroad to the city in the late 1800s and establishment of the University of New Mexico in 1889 inspired the city’s outward growth.

The Friday, Nov. 17, 1939, newspapers were filled with well-wishes for the new business. One blurb touting the new station in hopes of luring homeowners to the area described the neighborhood as “the fastest growing, new business district in the city” surrounded by an “Anglo residential district” with more than 7,000 people. Lots were priced from $420 to $520, and all one had to do was put down $20 cash and pay $10 per month to own it.

The Mother Road, as it’s sometimes called, was created in 1926 to meet the demand for new roads. It transformed, and connected, dirt and gravel roads across America to make them suitable for automobiles. The ribbon of pavement would eventually span from Santa Monica, California, to Chicago, and enable people to migrate across the United States. Route 66 was birthed before the advent of the Interstate Highway System and linked America’s main streets. It was a boon for local economies along the route, providing services for travelers.

Central wasn’t always the route for the historic road through Albuquerque. At its inception, U.S. Route 66 went north to south along Fourth Street following the old Santa Fe Trail, taking travelers to Santa Fe. It underwent a major realignment in 1937 as the result of political maneuvering.

But it did not last.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 created the new highway system that would eventually render Route 66 obsolete. Instead of sending travelers into the heart of towns and communities along its route, the modern-day freeways allowed drivers to bypass local roads in the name of speed and efficiency.

Jones left his Nob Hill lot and station in 1957, moved to Phoenix and became an author, leaving his car-dealing days behind him. However, his legacy did not meet the same fate as the historic route and his career. The Jones Motor Company continued to operate at different locations for years after his retirement.

And, the National Park Service added the building to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The building had been a landmark along the east Central corridor for some time and was significant because of its ties to Route 66, according to the nomination form.

Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, but many portions of it, including Central Avenue, still exist today. Congress established the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program in 1999 to honor the road’s cultural significance in America. The road symbolizes not only the impact of the automobile, but the spirit of freedom, and the American dream, according to NPS. Jones’ old station and garage is a small piece of that heritage.

Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email columnist Elaine Briseño at ebriseno@abqjournal.com as she continues the monthly journey in “What’s in a Name?”

Jones Motor Company building on Central a relic of a bygone era