November

Welcome Fall to our beautiful Downtown Neighborhood

October Haiku

by Debbie G.

The hauntings begin

Subtle winds, Wobbly shadows

A lovely witch laughs

 

DNA News:

Trick or Treat on Forrester Street and the surrounding neighborhood was a BOO-tiful event! The neighborhood welcomed hundreds of trick-or-treaters.  DNA is proud to help sponsor this community-wide event.

 

                        

Albuquerque Department of Senior Affairs will provide spring and fall yard clean up and also swamp cooler winterization (although these slots may be full for this year). They'll install grab bars in bathrooms, or ramps and a multitude of other useful things. One must be 60 to be eligible for services.

Here's the link: https://www.cabq.gov/seniors/senior-services/home-services

Fall Clean-up:

Yard waste can be collected for pick-up by the city every fall and spring. The dates for the fall pick-up are not set yet.

Green Waste Collection Event Tips:

During collection events, please follow these guidelines:

• Green Waste must be 5 feet away from trash/recycling containers.

• Green Waste must be placed in trash bags.

• Trash bags must not weigh more than 40 lbs.

• Cut branches to four-foot lengths and bundle them securely.

• Dirt, debris, gravel, construction material or tree stumps will not be picked up.

• Do NOT place green waste in your recycling cart

Lew Wallace News:

Lew Wallace has a new principal!  Melanie Misquez-Telles, the current Assistant Principal at Alamosa Elementary, will serve as Lew Wallace Elementary’s principal.

Principal Telles shares….I am excited to step into the role of principal at Lew Wallace Elementary and look forward to the journey ahead; thank you to the district staff and our wonderful community for believing in me and supporting the creation of a shared vision for our school. Together, I am confident we will create an environment where every student can thrive. I have 18 years of seasoned experience in APS; I am from Albuquerque, NM, the Land of Enhancement, and attended Griegos Elementary, San Felipe de Neri, St. Pius X High School, and ten years as a Lobo. I have dedicated my life to inspiring students and the school community to make a difference to thrive through academic excellence; I can’t wait to get started and work alongside all of you to make this school year exceptional!

Lew Wallace hosted a successful Fall Festival on October 25. The families that attended were having a great time gathering with the staff for food and games. Thanks to the PTO and all the dedicated staff and volunteers.

            

We love volunteers and donations of all kinds --  please contact Lew Wallace Community School Coordinator, Melanie Lewis, at melanie.lewis@aps.edu or 505-563-0648 for more information.  

Information on APS Volunteer Background Clearance https://www.aps.edu/community/volunteer-with-aps 

Next scheduled Downtown Neighborhoods  Association Board Meeting:

NOTE: Regular Monthly Meetings are now being held on the second Monday of each month from 5:30 – 6:30.

Next Meeting will be Monday, November 11th, 2024, 5:30- 6:30 pm at Fusion/The Cell, 700 1st Street NW, Albuquerque NM 87102

If you are sharing this newsletter with fellow neighbors, please encourage each one to join the Downtown Neighborhoods Association. It’s free and easy to join! https://abqdna.tidyhq.com  

  

October Newsletter

DNA News:
The Downtown Neighborhood Association would like to thank everyone who attended the National Neighborhood Night Out held in Mary Fox Park on August 6th. A good time was had by all who attended! Thank you to a fine neighborhood band, Otis B. Goode and the Honky Tonk Heretics for their engaging music. We also enjoyed many visits by neighborhood officials. 

The evening started with the first annual Dog Parade accompanied by a bagpipe player! What a howl!

Be sure and check out photos on our website, in the events section https://abqdna.tidyhq.com
 

On Saturday, September 28 th at 9 am your board members met at Mary Fox Park to conduct a neighborhood clean-up, part of the city-wide event: Keep Albuquerque Beautiful.  Plan to join us next year at Mary Fox Park where we will received wonderful all-weather hats, gloves, trash bags, and trash grabbers.

October 31st plan to Trick or Treat on Forrester Street with your children, or just go to see the decorations.  The neighborhood works together to create a street of lights and bonfires, with plenty of treats to hand out. The street fills with music, spooky sounds and laughter! DNA is proud to help sponsor this event.

Next scheduled Downtown Neighborhoods Association Board Meeting
Monday, October 7, 2024.  5:30 pm at Fusion/The Cell, 700 1st Street NW, Albuquerque NM 87102
Agenda items:

• What do we want to accomplish for our neighborhood over the next year?

• Set budget for next year.

• Secretarial housekeeping and updating.

Lew Wallace News:
Lew Wallace Elementary School will host a Globito remote control balloon launch on October 4 th, approximately 7:30-8:40.

The school's Fall Festival is planned for November 1st, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. The school is looking for volunteers and donations, especially Day of the Dead themed. 

A committee is being formed to replace Principal, Ms. Gallegos who recently retired. The committee will
consist of staff, families, and community members and will be choosing from numerous candidates.

The whole school is participating in the One School One Book program. Everyone is reading the book,
Fish in A Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. The students are enjoying the book and the discussions.

Click on this link to see a collaborative art project that Lew Wallace students are participating
in: https://news.unm.edu/news/unm-student-collaborates-on-art-project-with-local-elementary-school-city-
of-albuquerque.
We at Lew Wallace love volunteers and donations of all kinds --  please contact Lew Wallace Community School Coordinator, Melanie Lewis, at melanie.lewis@aps.edu or 505-563-0648 for more information.
Information on APS Volunteer Background Clearance https://www.aps.edu/community/volunteer-with-
aps 

 

If you are sharing this newsletter with fellow neighbors, please encourage each one to join the
Downtown Neighborhoods Association. It’s free and easy to join! https://abqdna.tidyhq.com

 

 

August Newsletter

 

Live Music, Food & Games – 6 – 8 pm

The NNNO will kick off with the first annual Dog Parade to celebrate the dogs and humans that love to walk in our downtown neighborhood. All DNA Doggies are invited to participate and the first 50 to sign up using the QR code on the flier will receive a handmade gift! Following the parade, you will have time to take your dog home for a well-deserved rest before joining in the remainder of the activities.

 

Lew Wallace News:

Lew Wallace Elementary School is excited to welcome back our 1st through 5th grade students on Wednesday, August 7.  Our Kindergarten students will begin school on Friday, August 9.  School starts at 8:40am and ends at 4:10pm.  We have before and after school care on site.

Join us for Teacher Meet & Greet on Tuesday, August 6, 3-4pm.  We have many exciting family events and enriching opportunities for students coming up this year, including Open House, August 28, 5-6:30pm.   We can't wait to get started with the new school year!

We love volunteers and donations of all kinds --  please contact Lew Wallace Community School Coordinator, Melanie Lewis, at melanie.lewis@aps.edu or 505-563-0648 for more information.  Information on APS Volunteer Background Clearance https://www.aps.edu/community/volunteer-with-aps 

Old Walls Gallery is hosting NEIGHBORS 2.

The second annual community exhibition showcasing artists of the Downtown Albuquerque Neighborhood.

Opening Celebration

Friday, August 2^nd 5-8 pm

On view August 2 – September 30

Open on Saturdays with the Grower’s Market.

Next scheduled Downtown Neighborhoods Association Board Meeting

Monday, August 5, 2024.  5:30 pm at Fusion/The Cell, 700 1^st Street NW, Albuquerque NM 87102

Agenda Items:

·       finalize National Night Out Plans

o   Committee updates

·       Arts and Culture Guest Speaker

·       What do we want to accomplish as a board over the next year?

·       Budget for the next year

·       No September DNA meeting

If you are sharing this newsletter with fellow neighbors, please encourage each one to join the Downtown Neighborhoods Association. It’s free and easy to join! https://abqdna.tidyhq.com  

 

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July Newsletter

 

Plans are in full swing to gather as a neighborhood!

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Mary Fox Park

Dog Parade – 5:30 – 6 pm

Live Music, Food & Games – 6 – 8 pm

The NNNO will kick off with the First Annual Dog Parade to celebrate the dogs and humans that love to walk in our downtown neighborhood. All DNA Doggies are invited to participate and the first 50 to sign up using the QR code will receive a handmade gift! Following the parade, you will have time to take your dog home for a well-deserved rest before joining in the remainder of the activities.

Lew Wallace News:

Lew Wallace is welcoming Renee Gallegos, as the new principal for the 2024/2025 school year. Ms. Gallegos comes to Lew Wallace with 29 years of APS district experience and 21 years of administrative experience. She has dedicated herself to the future of Albuquerque Public Schools using her training and experience to serve our students.

Next Scheduled Downtown Neighborhoods Association Board Meeting:

Monday, July 1, 2024.  5:30 - 6:30 pm at Fusion/The Cell, 700 1^st Street NW, Albuquerque NM 87102

Agenda Items:

• Discuss National Night Out Plans

  • Committee updates

• Introduction of the new Principal of Lew Wallace Elementary

• Confirm Board meeting on August 5, and no meeting for September

• Quick Trip zoom meeting review

Haiku

July's hot weather

Picnics, families gather

Independence Day!

If you are sharing this newsletter with fellow neighbors, please encourage each one to join the Downtown Neighborhoods Association. It’s free and easy to join! https://abqdna.tidyhq.com  

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June 2024 Newsletter

 Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

The Mother’s Day Historic Home and Garden Tour was a HUGE success,

attracting 900 visitors to the eight featured homes and five gardens on Sunday, May 12, 2024. 

Homeowners and docents shared information about the homes and gardens as people strolled through the featured historic homes many with contemporary renovations. Homeowners were delighted to see that the gardens and back yards offered the visitors a place to relax and reflect on the gorgeous weather and event’s ambiance. 

Throughout the home tour positive comments were shared with homeowners and docents.

“I work in this neighborhood and have always dreamed of seeing the inside of these houses. This is a wonderful event.”

“These houses are beautiful and so much more unique than anywhere else in the city. It is such a treat to see them.”

“The home looks small from the outside, but it feels so spacious inside.”

“Lew Wallace felt so warm and inviting.”

The historic Lew Wallace Elementary School put out the welcome mat for ticket holders to begin the walking tour. Visitors could learn about this amazing neighborhood school and enjoy the prints done by Mrs. Edward’s 2nd grade class that featured the homes on the tour. Printmaking techniques were taught to the students by APS Fine Arts Instructor, Tanya Silva.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association would like to give a huge Thank You to the homeowners who graciously opened their homes, to the docents who welcomed visitors into each home, and to the many sponsors that helped fund the printing of the booklets for the event. Sponsors: Old Walls Gallery, Remarque Print Workshop, the Art of Angus Macpherson, High Noon Restaurant & Saloon, Cafe Lush, F & H Markets, Cloudwalker Farm, and Seared Bistro.

Haiku by Jeremiah Jones:

A rousing success

Historic homes and gardens

Bloomed for Mother’s Day

 

Lew Wallace Elementary School Event:

Next board meeting: Monday, June 3^rd 5:30 -7 pm at Fusion/The Cell east side of First Street between Lomas and Roma. Signs will direct you to the gathering place. 

Agenda:

-       Recap the Historic Home Tour

-       Next steps for National Night Out

-       Jessica Carr – community member

 

Next Up: National Night Out (brought to you by your Downtown Neighborhoods Association) will be celebrated in our neighborhood at Mary Fox Park. Tuesday, August 6, 2024, 5PM–8PM. Come meet your neighbors…join us for live music, food and games!

 

 

May Newsletter 2024

Mother’s Day Historic Home and Garden Tour

It’s almost here.  Sunday, May 12, 11:00–3:00.  

Enjoy the neighborhood on the 50^th Anniversary of the tour!

The walking tour begins at Lew Wallace Elementary School,

where you will receive a map to guide you through the Historic 4^th Ward.

Visit eight vintage homes and lush gardens while strolling on the tree-lined streets.

Buy your tickets online now HERE Price of tickets $15.00/person online;

$20.00 at the door.

 

Save the Date!

Neighborhood National Night Out

Tuesday, August 6, 2024.  6-8 pm.  Mary Fox Park.  401 13^th Street NW  Featuring live music, food, and games.    Free!

Can’t wait to meet you there!

Celebrating Downtown

Haiku

Downtown is psyched up

Filled with anticipation

The house tour is nigh.

By Annie Shively

 

Next scheduled Downtown Neighborhood Board Meeting:

Monday, April 29, 2024.  5:30 pm at Lew Wallace Elementary School. 513 6^th Street NW

Agenda Items:

·      Finalize Historic Home Tour Plans

·      Neighborhood National Night Out discussion

·      Support letter for Washtub Laundromat discussion

·      Pearl project appeal update

·      ONC annual meeting compliance update

 

Downtown Neighborhoods Association Newsletter

April 2024

Mother’s Day Historic House and Garden Tour.

It’s almost here.  Sunday, May 12, 11:00–3:00.  This is the 50^th anniversary of the tour, and promises to be very special. The tour starts at Lew Wallace School, and all houses are within blocks of one another. Please note that this is a walking tour, so plan accordingly.  Buy your tickets online now HERE Price of tickets $15.00/person online; $20.00 at the door.

Docents are still needed for the tour. Volunteer to be a docent, and you will receive a free ticket to view the other homes on the tour in the two hours before or after your docent duty. Docents answer questions about that particular home and guide participants through the home or garden. If interested, please contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com.

 

April Board meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhoods Association Board will meet Monday, April 1, 2024 (no fooling!) from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at Lew Wallace Elementary School, 513 6^th Street, room #104.

New Board Members Elected. At the annual meeting on March 6, two new Board members were elected—Eric Carson and Barbara Saville—bringing to eleven the number of members on the Board. Below is the complete roster. Officers for next year will be selected at the April Board meeting.

Eric Carson

Karen Foss

Sylvia Holguin

Kelly Hogeland

Corine Leger

Nancy Magnusson

Beverly Salas

Glen Salas

Barbara Saville

Danny Senn

Trudi Wieduwilt

 

Celebrating Downtown. Beginning with this month, we are adding a new feature in the DNA newsletter—a haiku that reminds us of the beauty, potential, adventure, and sometimes challenges that come with living downtown.

  

Historic houses

Blooms and birds and trees say Spring

Heart of the City

                                                                              —Stephen Littlejohn 

 

There are many ways to be active in your neighborhood:

·      Come to monthly DNA Board meetings

·      Become a DNA member. There are no set membership amounts. Give what you can to support the projects of the DNA.

·      Support the DNA by purchasing one or both books we have for sale about downtown Albuquerque:  McClellan Park and DNA History Project. $10.00 each. Order yours at https://abqdna.tidyhq.com/public/shop/products

·      Share this newsletter with your neighbors:  Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To sign up for the newsletter list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com.

 

March 2024

 

Spring brings abundance: including an abundance of ways to get involved in the DNA!

March DNA Board meeting: Monday, March 4, 2024, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at Lew Wallace Elementary School, 513 6th Street, room #104.

All DNA Board meetings are open to the public.

Annual DNA Membership Meeting: Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 6:00 - 7:30, at Fusion, 708 1st St. NW   Enter through Novel Point Coffee, Go Upstairs

Agenda for Annual Meeting

• Danny Senn, DNA Chair, review of DNA Board activities over the last year

• Historic Home and Garden tour update (docents needed!)

Featured Speakers & Presentations:

Joaquin Baca, Council member, District 2

Chris Sylvan, Office of Neighborhood Coordination

Peter Rice, Downtown Albuquerque News

Elect new board members (Want to be a board member? Contact Danny Senn at DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com)

*****

Tickets for the home and garden tour, books, and memberships will all be available at the annual meeting. Come ready to support the DNA.

You are invited whether you are a member of the DNA, a resident, a neighbor, a business owner, or just interested in our community. Come join us!

There are many ways to be active in your neighborhood:

• Come to the DNA Annual Meeting on March 6

•Volunteer to be on the Board. We are currently looking for new Board members and will elect a new Board at the March annual meeting. To become a Board member you must live inside the DNA boundaries (see the DNA website for a boundary map), care about downtown Albuquerque, and be interested in helping preserve and enhance its many neighborhoods.

• Come to monthly DNA Board meetings

• Become a DNA member. There are no set membership amounts. Give what you can to support the projects of the DNA.

• Volunteer to be a docent for one of the homes on the Mother’s Day Historic House and Garden Home Tour. You will receive a free ticket to view the other homes on the tour in the two hours before or after your docent duty. Docents answer questions about that particular home and guide participants through the home or garden. If interested, please contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com.

• Support the DNA by purchasing one or both books we have for sale about downtown Albuquerque: McClellan Park and DNA History Project. $10.00 each. Order yours at https://abqdna.tidyhq.com/public/shop/products

• Share this newsletter with your neighbors: Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To sign up for the newsletter list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com.

Meeting Dates for 2024: The DNA will meet on the following dates in 2024. Except for the annual meeting, all meetings will begin at 5:30.

February 5

March 4

March 6: Annual meeting; meet at Fusion, 708 1st Street NW

April 1

May 6

June 3

July 1: Meet at 901 Roma NW

August (no meeting). Come to the National Neighborhoods Night Out, Tuesday, August 6, instead!

September 9

October 7

November 4

December (no meeting)

Art is Elementary

An enticing land of make-believe, with yellow rolling hills and towering mountains reaching for cotton clouds in the sky. A bank of trees perched atop beautiful green foliage, the salmon-colored background screaming for attention. A spooky world of spiderwebs overtaking vibrant-colored strips as a black spider dances on her web.

The students from Lew Wallace Elementary who created these and many other masterpieces have boundless imaginations, and their creativity will be on full display in the annual “Art is Elementary” exhibit, now showing at the Berna Facio Professional Development Complex.

Stop by to see and celebrate the next generation of Albuquerque artists! 4

If you go:

What: Art is Elementary exhibit

When: February 12 - March 14; Mondays – Fridays 8:00 to 4:00, Saturdays 9:00 to 2:00

Where: Berna Facio Professional Development Complex, 3315 Louisiana Blvd. NE

Cost: Free

 

February 2024

February Board meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhoods Association Board will meet Monday, February 5, 2024, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at Lew Wallace Elementary School, 513 6^th Street, room #104. Please note, this is a new meeting place.

Agenda

Proposed QuikTrip truck stop

Vinaigrette liquor license

Janes Walk

Historic House and Garden Tour

Brochures:  ads and house descriptions

Docents

Lew Wallace activities: house drawings

Notecards

Duran’s gift cards for homeowners on the tour

Booties

Agenda for annual meeting

Strong Town Albuquerque

“Membership” corrections: by-laws and website

Neighbors who wish to add an agenda item:  please contact the DNA chair, Danny Senn (abqdna@abqdna.com) at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time. Presenters will be limited to 5 minutes each to ensure that the Board’s business can be completed in a timely fashion.

Annual Meeting: March 6, Fusion, 708 1^st Street NW, 6:00 p.m. Join us to learn more about the DNA and your neighborhood, elect Board members for the coming year, and socialize with your neighbors. Peter Rice, editor of the Downtown Albuquerque News (the DAN), will be the featured speaker.

Meeting Dates for 2024:  The DNA will meet on the following dates in 2024. Except for the annual meeting, all meetings will begin at 5:30.

February 5

March 4

March 6:  Annual meeting;  meet at Fusion, 708 1^st Street NW

April 1

May 6

June 3

July 1:  Meet at 901 Roma NW

August (no meeting). Come to the National Night Out, August 6,  instead!

September 9

October 7

November 4

December (no meeting)

There are many ways to be active in your neighborhood:

• Come to DNA Board meetings

• Become a DNA member. There are no set membership amounts. Give what you can to support the projects of the DNA. 

• Volunteer to be on the Board. We are currently looking for new board members and will elect a new Board at the March annual meeting. To become a Board member you must live inside the DNA boundaries (see the DNA website for a boundary map), care about downtown Albuquerque, and be interested in helping preserve and enhance its many neighborhoods.

• Volunteer to be a docent for one of the homes on the Mother’s Day Historic House and Garden Home Tour. you will receive a free ticket to view the other homes on the tour in the two hours before or after your docent duty. Docents answer questions about that particular home and guide participants through the home or garden. If interested, please contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com.

• Support the DNA by purchasing one or both books we have for sale about downtown Albuquerque:  McClellan Park and DNA History Project. $10.00 each. Order yours at https://abqdna.tidyhq.com/public/shop/products 

• Share this newsletter with your neighbors:  Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To sign up for the newsletter list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com.

News from Lew Wallace Elementary:

Albuquerque Arts Hub, a nonprofit organization benefiting Albuquerque and Albuquerque-area artists, has dedicated itself to partnering with many community schools, including Lew Wallace Elementary school. 

We strive to expand community involvement and creative economy by facilitating great projects that bring community members into the picture when working with our children. Teachers, instructors, and artists have been brought into the school to help students envision what can come from creative integration.

Through grant funding and exciting planning efforts, Albuquerque Arts Hub and Lew Wallace are bringing creative new projects to Downtown Albuquerque.  One very popular project at Lew Wallace combines a language arts lesson, “Who are You: A Hero or a Villain?” and “What are Your Superpowers?,” with a corresponding art illustration. Last year, Lew Wallace students also enjoyed school-wide dance instruction with a performance for families as part of this partnership with Albuquerque Arts Hub.

Albuquerque Arts Hub looks forward to facilitating more creative projects this school year that combine the community and this incredible school very soon!

Abby Butler

Albuquerque Arts Hub

Director of Education/Director of Communication

 

January 2024

New Meeting Place for the DNA:  Beginning with the January board meeting, the DNA has a new meeting place:  Lew Wallace Elementary School, 513 6^th Street, room #104. Please use the 6^th Street main entrance to the school; the room is easy to find once you enter. A big thanks to Harwood Art Center for providing the DNA with meeting space over the last year.

January Board meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhoods Association Board will meet Monday, January 8, 2024, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at Lew Wallace Elementary School, room #104.

Agenda

1. Update on Home Tour tasks

2. Establish dates for 2024 meetings

3. Establish date and location for annual meeting in March

4. TidyHQ system

5. Recruitment of new board members

6. Buttons update

7. Facebook/Instagram Update

8. Update on book sales

Neighbors who wish to add an agenda item:  please contact Danny Senn (abqdna@abqdna.com) at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time. Presenters will be limited to 5 minutes each to ensure that the board’s business can be completed in a timely fashion.

 

Save the Date!  Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12th, 2024  (11 AM - 3 PM)

50th Anniversary Home Tour: Your Downtown Neighborhoods Association will once again offer the Historic Neighborhood Home Tour.

Volunteer to be a docent for the home tour. Give two hours at one of the featured homes or gardens on the tour, and you will receive a free ticket to view the other homes on the tour in the two hours before or after your docent duty. Docents answer questions about that particular home and guide participants through the home or garden. If interested, please contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com 

 

Learn more about your neighborhood and its history:

McClellan Park: The Life and Death of an Urban Green Space, by Jeffrey C. Sanders                                               

Order yours at https://abqdna.tidyhq.com/public/shop/products

 

News from Lew Wallace Elementary

By Tanya Silva

At Lew Wallace, our dedication to cultivating an arts-integrated environment remains steadfast. On December 6, we orchestrated an enchanting day that allowed our students to delve into the captivating world of the circus. The students were immersed in a spectrum of arts-integrated workstations led by the LWES staff and the talented instructors from Wise Fool Circus Arts (visit them at https://wisefoolnewmexico.org/). These sessions seamlessly wove together literacy, arts, music, community, and the mesmerizing artistry of the circus. Under the guidance of the Wise Fool Circus artists, our students explored diverse skills from acrobatics to games to movement to juggling.

The afternoon was a spectacle as the students were treated to a mesmerizing circus performance that featured a remarkable aerialist. As the day drew to a close our students transformed into performers themselves. Led by music teacher Alex Flores, students showcased their newfound talents from the music and literacy workstations to an audience of families and esteemed guests.

The resounding success of this event has inspired us immensely, igniting our eagerness to commence planning for next year. We envision building upon this incredible experience, continuing to ignite the spark of creativity and artistic discovery in the hearts of our students.

 

 

 

 

Photographs by Patrick Beare, APS Fine Arts Department

Share this newsletter with your neighbors:  Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To get on the newsletter list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com 

 

 

Downtown Neighborhoods Association Newsletter

December 2023 

No December Board Meeting: The DNA will not meet in December.

January Board Meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhood Association Board will meet Monday, January 8, 2024, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at the Harwood Art Center, 1114 7^th St. NW. Watch for the agenda in the new year.

 

The Lew Wallace Fine Arts Day is Back On! 

Monday, December 6, 8:30-2:00.  Everyone welcome.

8:30-12:20  Fine Arts Workstations

12:30-12:40  Circus Arts Performance

12:50-1”30  Whole School Performance

1:40-2:00  Snack

 

Save the Date:  50^th Historic House and Garden Tour, May 12, 2024. What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day?  

Happy Holidays from the Board of the Downtown Neighborhoods Association. Thanks to all of you for your support and efforts on behalf of downtown Albuquerque.

May your holidays be filled with peace, joy, and good cheer.

 

 

November 2023

November Board meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhood Association Board will meet Monday, November 6, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at the Harwood Art Center, 1114 7^th St. NW.  There will not be a DNA Board meeting in December. 

Agenda

Historic Home & Garden Tour: Update 

Letter to home owners for tour

Buttons 

Recruitment of new Board members 

 

Become a DNA Board Member: There are openings on the DNA Board. It’s a good way to learn more about and participate in the downtown neighborhood. If interested, contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com.

 

Save the Date!  Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12th, 2024

50th Anniversary Home Tour: Your Downtown Neighborhood Association will once again offer the Historic Neighborhood Home & Garden Tour. Eight houses and four gardens have been selected. Thank you, home owners, for opening up your lovely homes and gardens to the neighborhood.

Be a docent volunteer for the home tour: Give two hours at one of the featured homes or gardens on the tour, and you will receive a free ticket to view the other homes on the tour in the two hours before or after your docent duty. Docents answer questions about that particular home and guide participants through the home or garden. If interested, please contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com.

 

News from Lew Wallace Elementary

 

 

Share this newsletter with your neighbors:  Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To get on the newsletter list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com 

 

Book Review

McClellan Park: The Life and Death of an Urban Green Space

A Book by Jeffrey C. Sanders, 2004. Reviewed by Carol Gladin

 

For sale from the DNA for $10.00. Order yours at https://abqdna.tidyhq.com/public/shop/products 

 

The McClellans left New York state in 1853. They took the train all the way to Albuquerque. Albuquerque was a town that had grown in population from 1307 in 1870 to 6059 in 1890. William McClellan was a state agent for a real estate and insurance agency. 

 

The McClellan Park neighborhood went from 6^th to 1^st Street and from Lomas to Mountain Road. Albuquerque changed from an agrarian culture to commercial development, with the McClellan home located at Slate and south 4^th. McClellan Park was located between 3^rd and 4^th and Marble and Slate Streets.

 

McClellan and the surrounding neighbors built McClellan Park in 1949 on 4^th Street. He wanted it for his wife and mother. He contributed $2,000 toward it. Slate, Marble, 3^rd and 4^th Streets were its parameters--it had previously been an orchard, and an acequia flowed through it. There were only four parks in 1920.

 

In 1905, the Camino Real Highway, a major north/south highway was created. The number of automobiles increased in the teens. Harry Truman led the pack for automobiles. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) supported creation of national highways through New Mexico to California. Good roads and a national highway was needed--this was the promotion.

 

The Madonna of the Trail was created to promote this goal. A statue 10 feet tall on a 6-foot base that weighed 17 tons represented her, to be placed in 12 states by the DAR that promoted, for the most part, Anglo history. Mr. Truman went to Santa Fe with the Madonna, but Santa Fe rejected it. The Madonna represented Anglos and not natives, Hispanics, or Chicanos. The comment was that the wrong pioneers were being celebrated.

 

It was decided, as a result, to put the Madonna in Albuquerque. Lost was the history of the Santa Fe Trail and the Camino Real. Santa Fe was deprived of a more layered history of place. Albuquerque got the pioneer statue as Santa Fe evoked a Hispanic past. Albuquerque slowly created Spanish Pueblo types, as in the Franciscan Hotel. Indians and Spanish unveiled the Pioneer Mother. Five hundred were there for the unveiling in 1828. She towered over the crowd. A time capsule was placed in the base. Contributions and inscriptions for the base of the statue were in it. Support for the statue was commercial rather than residential, mostly Anglo-American. Kids played on the statue.

 

Cars began to drive past, changing the character of the neighborhood. Before autos, the railroad brought economic lifeblood. As cars increased, north 4^th Street got busier. Cultural history became popular. Hispanic and Native art became popular around 1928 as the Kimo Theater and the Franciscan Hotel promoted the street by the Park, and it became commercialized. Auto dealers, gas stations, etc. drove out residents. Fourth Street became a thoroughfare and did not fare well, with autos affecting McClellan Park.

 

Albuquerque got Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia Labs. Population grew from 35,000 in 1940 to 175,000 in 1950. The focus was away from downtown to the Heights. Some remained downtown, including the Seis and McClellan Families. By 1950, businesses around McClellan Park struggled. The Seis family left in the late 1940s. The McClellans moved to the Country Club area. Most homes were torn down. The Madonna statue was on her own. The 1960s brought the Interstate Highway. Shopping centers were developed in the heights. Mainly only government businesses remained downtown.

 

The site of McClellan Park was proposed for a City Hall building. Most of the residences were turning into businesses. The park was no longer used. The Franciscan and Alvarado hotels were leveled. In 1975, Albuquerque decided that keeping downtown as is and redeveloping older neighborhoods was the goal--this included McClellan Park in the late 1970s.

 

In 1984, it was recommended that the McClellan Park district would be revitalized. In the 1980s and 1990s, the plan was to revitalize Huning Highlands, South Broadway, Martineztown, and McClellan Park. Martineztown is east of the railroad tracks. Its area is from Lomas to Menaul and I-25 to the railroad tracks. Residents from the last two areas had used the park over the years. Residents of both areas worked for the railroad.

 

The City planned to build the Courthouse in Martineztown. Ms. Naranjo-Lopez of Martineztown opposed this and succeeded in her opposition. She had meetings in her home and got 300 signatures opposing this plan. The National Resources Defence Council backed her. The Downtown Neighborhood Association backed her--they wanted to keep public buildings downtown in an effort to revitalize it.

 

Martin Chavez, the new mayor, wanted the Courthouse downtown, on top of McClellan Park. Mayor Rusk, who preceded Chavez, supported downtown. He supported neighborhood associations, but not at the expense of a broader vision for the City. After Chavez was elected, he proposed putting the Court House over McClellan Park. Senior Planners for the city had a theory and a realistic approach. In the 1980s, planners wanted to redevelop downtown along Central and along 4^th, including McClellan Park. City planners were never able to jell keeping this park.

 

Representatives from the federal government came to town. GSA asked for proposals in 1992 and only included sites downtown. A lot of money was available, fighting the drug war for one. The City could not allow the Courthouse to leave downtown. The fight was between downtown and Martineztown. McClellan Park was downtrodden and in bad shape in the early 1990s; in the mid-1980s, the City had wanted to help revive it.

 

IRS was moving from downtown. Jobs were leaving from there. Mayor Chavez decided to eliminate McClellan Park. He did not grow up downtown and thought McClellan Park was expendable. He offered the park to the Feds for free. Zoning, EPC, and the City Council approved the mayor’s decision.

 

The Albuquerque Journal, the DAR and the McClellan heirs argued for the park to stay. The statue was a big argument; the McClellan heirs and DAR were more concerned about the statue. The Journal downplayed that, though. GSA accepted Chavez’s offer of the free park.

 

Ford David opposed building the Court House over McClellan Park. His parents lived in the South 5^th Street area and are related to the Girards. Ford lives on Marble and 5^th and played in the park as a boy. He reconnected to this authentic sense of place and became an activist. The neighborhood had not been notified about plans to eliminate the park. The EPC, however, ruled for the City, and the Mayor said the park was underutilized. The neighbors felt betrayed. The Council rezoned the Park, but said that the Madonna would be preserved. The Journal backed City Hall.

 

The DNA sent a letter by a lawyer as they wanted to save a portion of the park. Linda Dietz, a member of the DNA, wrote a letter of complaint. As a child, she and her family would shop at a store next to the Park. The Madonna statue was impressive to her. The Park was well tended then, but it had changed. The City did not maintain the Park; it was not safe and no longer vibrant. Dietz and the DNA asked the City to create another park.

 

The Mayor offered to put a park due south, but the GSA would have to agree. A member of the McClellan family and the DAR felt assured a park and spot for it would be forthcoming. The Feds were uncertain about the Mayor’s assurance about another park. The park shifted from local to federal control, and the Mayor couldn’t keep the promise to create a park in front of the Courthouse, though he never really promised that the Madonna would be included. No park was created, however, though the DNA pushed for one. They filed a lawsuit stating that the City and Mayor gave away the park to the Feds.

 

Closure of Slate Street succeeded. A lawsuit filed by citizen activists against this failed. The Courthouse promoted downtown revitalization. The park was too close to downtown, 4^th Street, and the railroad tracks. Homeless persons now lived in the park that had once been a focus of the community. The park had represented a romantic idea. As downtown spread east and west proponents wanted to preserve the sentiment. Now it was no longer used and did not have support of the people.

 

In 1996, ground was broken for the courthouse. The Madonna was placed behind the courthouse in the northwest corner. The time capsule, that had been placed in its base, was finally located in 1996. It offered a snapshot of downtown when people lived in the area of the park. The 1970s sought renewal of downtown and the time capsule unearthed a story of hope and loss.

 

Downtown Neighborhood Association Newsletter

October 2023

October Board meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhood Association Board will meet Monday, October 2, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at the Harwood Art Center, 1114 7^th St. NW.

Agenda

Historic Home & Garden Tour Update

Buttons and Vests

Membership categories in By-Laws

TidyHQ system/DNA board communication

Inventory of DNA materials--Who on the DNA Board has what?

 

Neighborhood Meet and Greet: You are invited to attend the Office of Neighborhood Coordination’s (ONC) Annual Neighborhood Meet and Greet. There will be updates from several key City Departments, refreshments, and the opportunity to network in person and meet your fellow neighborhood partners.  

ONC Annual Neighborhood Meet and Greet

Saturday, October 14, 2023

10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Los Duranes Community Center, 2920 Leopoldo Rd. NW

Speakers

Vanessa Baca, Manager, Office of Neighborhood Coordination

Cyndy McCrossen, Manager, Albuquerque Film Office, Economic Development Department

Deputy Chief Jimmy Melek, Albuquerque Fire Rescue Department

Carrie Prothero, Manager, Albuquerque 311 Call Center, Dept. of Technology and Innovation

Laura Kuehn, Senior Crime Prevention Specialist, Crime Prevention Programs, Albuquerque Police Department

David Ryan and Danny Korman, Jane’s Walks/Walk Albuquerque

This event is open to the public and is free, so please pass along to your neighbors and fellow association members. However, to ensure we have sufficient food and drink, registration is required for this event. Please RSVP to Dalaina Carmona no later than Wednesday, October 11 by 5:00 p.m. Send your RSVP to: dlcarmona@cabq.gov or call (505) 768-3334.

  

Save the Date!  Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12th, 2024

50th Anniversary Home Tour: Your Downtown Neighborhood Association will once again offer the Historic Neighborhood Home Tour. This year we will include a few special gardens as well.

Be a docent volunteer for the home tour: Give two hours at one of the featured homes or gardens on the tour, and you will receive a free ticket to view the other homes on the tour in the two hours before or after your docent duty. Docents answer questions about that particular home and guide participants through the home or garden. If interested, please contact the DNA at abqdna@abqdna.com 

Learn more about your neighborhood and its history:

McClellan Park: The Life and Death of an Urban Green Space, by Jeffrey C. Sanders

Reviewed by Trudi Wiuduwilt

This book came out of Mr. Sanders’ history PhD from UNM. Sanders takes us on a journey from the beginnings of the railroad and the formation of “New Town” Albuquerque in the 1800s to the “death” of McClellan Park in the 90s when the Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse was built on the park. Not only do we learn about McClellan and his history and significance to Albuquerque, but we get a sense of how Albuquerque came to be with other important residents’ contributions, and we can see why the 'downtown core' became just one of several city centers.

As a newcomer to Albuquerque, I so enjoyed learning about the people behind familiar names and buildings I see around our neighborhoods and our downtown core. The history is filled with a richness of diversity, generational families, and the successes and struggles that come with growth and expansion.

I found it to be an interesting and relatable read, even if some of Sanders’ timelines were a little confusing. For me it brought up a deeper appreciation for our fabulous city and its rich history.

 

 

Order yours at https://abqdna.tidyhq.com/public/shop/products

 

News from Lew Wallace Elementary

In 2019, Lew Wallace was one of eight schools chosen as an Elevated School in partnership with the City of Albuquerque and Kennedy Center. The goal of this program is to integrate the arts into the curriculum, a teaching approach in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through connecting an art form with  another subject area (math, writing, etc.). 

 

As an Elevated School, our staff is also offered Art Integration professional development and access to the Visiting Artist program, in which we partner with local artists to work with our students on Art Integrated lessons. The past two years, 4th and 5th grade students have worked with local comic illustrator Abby Butler to create comic panels; they then work with classroom teachers to integrate writing lessons into storytelling. 

 

Our K-2 students worked with printmaker Sara Dewey to create nature prints. Last year Exavier Viramontez, founder of Troubadour Beat Lab, created a dance routine over five weeks that was performed for students and parents.

 

Lew Wallace also participated in three art shows last year. One was a gallery showcase of the photography program hosted by our neighborhood coffee shop, Castle Coffee. They were so generous to share their gallery space and donated the frames for student work. At this point, we are the only Elementary school to have a photography program through our Elevated School’s Genius hour. 

 

Our program continues to grow!  This year 3rd and 4th graders are working with Amy Biehl High School students to create artwork and Haikus to display on yard signs throughout our community. We are also partnering with Albuquerque Arts Hub for a six-week afterschool program in September that will bring Abby Butler back to our school. She will once again teach about comics and the process of creating graphic novels, which has been such a big hit with students. Lew Wallace and 516 Arts are continuing to work on partnerships to invite even more artists to collaborate with our students.

 

Finally, Lew Wallace students will once again be partnering with the DNA Mother’s Day Home Tour this year!  Students will be illustrating prints of the homes and gardens featured on the tour.

                                             ––Tanya Silva, Lew Wallace Art Teacher   

           

 

Want to showcase art from Lew Wallace?

Students from Lew Wallace Elementary and Amy Biehl High School are collaborating on an art project that will benefit our community and we are looking for partners to help us. The students are creating artwork that will pair with haikus on yard signs (similar to political and realtor signs). The plan is to display them in public spaces throughout the Downtown area. We believe that this simple endeavor will build community by delivering a visual message of beauty and celebration. We also believe that the young people in this project are learning and demonstrating the valuable skill of cooperation.

 

We are asking for individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to allow us to help showcase the art in their yard, or outdoor space. The projects will be ready to display on and after November 16th. 

 

Please contact Lew Wallace Community School Coordinator, Melanie Lewis at melanie.lewis@aps.edu or (505) 563-0648, if you would like to place a sign in your yard or if you have questions. 

 

Share this newsletter with your neighbors:  Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To get on the newsletter list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com 

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Downtown Neighborhood Association Newsletter

August 2023 

It’s National Night Out this Tuesday, and you’re invited!

Come to Mary Fox Park to meet and mingle with your neighbors.

 

National Night Out:  Join your friends and neighbors Tuesday, August 1, 2023, for the National Night Out, 6:00-8:00 at Mary Fox Park.

·      Subway sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks (Free until we run out)

·      Live music—Otis B. Goode and the Honky Tonk Heretics

·      Games—Giant Jenga and more

August Board meeting:  The Downtown Neighborhood Association Board will meet Monday, August 7, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at the Harwood Art Center, 1114 7^th St. NW. The sole agenda item for the August meeting will be the Mothers’ Day historic home tour. Please come volunteer your talents for this event that helps to showcase downtown. The DNA will not meet in September due to the Labor Day overlap.

Glass Recycling: The DNA has joined forces with other neighborhood associations, including RANA, EDO, and the AbqCore Neighborhood Association, to work to bring glass recycling back to downtown. We have a meeting scheduled with Solid Waste in August, so stay tuned!

BTW, you can no longer recycle glass at the Solid Waste department on Edith. Glass recycling has been moved to Menaul and I-25. If heading east on Menaul, it is on the right, just past Sunset Memorial Park. There’s an industrial building tucked between the cemetery and the freeway, and it is actually much easier to get in and out of than the site at Solid Waste. But we are still hoping to get something downtown!

Lew Wallace School: Lew Wallace Elementary School is excited to begin another school year on Thursday, August 3 (with a new start time of 8:05 a.m. and a new end time of 3:35 p.m.).  Lew Wallace Elementary is an integrated arts school, which means that students participate in music classes twice a week, an extended art class once a week, and media arts throughout the school year.  Additionally, Lew Wallace offers a Genius Hour elective to students at the end of the school day.   Lew Wallace has a strong Parent Teacher Association and many community partnerships, and LOVE being a part of the Downtown community. Lew Wallace is a neighborhood school, and we also accept transfer students.  Our Open House is happening on Monday, August 21, 6:00–7:30 p.m.  Come check us out! Lew Wallace Elementary School is located at 513 6th Street NW.  The school phone number is (505) 848-9409. [Submitted by Melanie Lewis, Community School Coordinator, melanie.lewis@aps.edu]

 

Central Community Planning Area: The Central CPA team will be hosting a series of one in-person and four virtual focus groups in August. These groups (see below) will bring service providers together with the public to provide information about projects and programs and prioritize strategies to meet community needs. The online groups will have a zoom meeting link posted to the CPA  website the day before.

Focus Groups: 

Transportation and Mobility

8/15: 2 - 4 PM (Online - Zoom Meeting)
Topics will include walkability, traffic safety programs, transportation projects, and pedestrian safety actions.

Community and Social Services
8/17: 3 - 5 PM (In-person) Crossroads for Women - 239 Elm St. NE
Topics will include youth programs, housing and food assistance, personal wellness and public safety.

Land Use and Development

8/21: 2 - 4 PM (Online - Zoom Meeting)
Topics will include zoning, urban development, and more!Environmental Strategies and Green Space
8/22: 11 AM - 1 PM (Online - Zoom Meeting)
Topics will include air quality, heat island effect, and urban forestry strategies.
 

Cultural and Historic Preservation

8/22: 11 AM - 1 PM (Online - Zoom Meeting)
Topics will include public art, historic preservation, and more!

 

July Newsletter 2023

July Board Meeting:  The July Board meeting of the Downtown Neighborhood Association is Monday, July 3, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.  Join us at the Harwood Art Center, 1114 7^th St. NW. The DNA will meet again Monday, August 7, but will not meet in September because of Labor Day.

Agenda items:

National Neighborhood Night Out

Mother’s Day Home Tour

Follow-up on Douglas Jones’s book donation

Glass recycling

Newsletter

Vests for DNA events

Save the date:  Tuesday, August 1, 2023, National Night Out, 6:00-8:00 Mary Fox Park, with the Tomé Todo food truck, live music: Otis B. Goode and the Honky Tonk Heretics; games (including giant Jenga and horseshoes). Come meet and mingle with your neighbors.

Historic Home Tour: Volunteers needed!  The Mother’s Day Historic House and Garden Tour  (Sunday, May 12, 2024) is back after being sidelined by the pandemic. We need volunteers for all committees. If interested, please contact Bev Salas, salasminkhollow@gmail.com.

• House selection and docent recruitment

• Advertising

• Program

• Lew Wallace Children’s Art Show

“Taking It to the Streets” and garbage day: What does the Doobie Brothers’ song have to do with your garbage? We hope you’ll take a broom and dustpan to your street as you bring your garbage bin to the curb every week. Take a look around. Is your gutter full of leaves, trash, and weeds? Please sweep up whatever Is there and put it in your garbage bin. The city uses green matter to layer onto the garbage—so you’re helping the city while making our neighborhood nicer. And there’s nothing wrong with sweeping up your neighbors’ gutter as well. So next garbage day, sing along with the Doobie Brothers as you clean up your gutters!

Share this with your neighbors:  Pass this newsletter along and encourage those you share it with to sign up themselves. To get on the email list, send your email to: abqdna@abqdna.com 

 

June 2023  Newsletter

New Meeting Space. The DNA has a new meeting space—Harwood Art Center, 1114 7^th St. NW. Join us there for the next board meeting, Monday, July 3, 2023, 5:30-7:00.

Save the date:  Tuesday, August 1, 2023, National Night Out, 6:00-8:00 Mary Fox Park. Food truck, live music, games (including giant Jenga and horseshoes). Come meet and mingle with your neighbors.

Historic Home Tour: Volunteers needed!  The Mother’s Day Historic House and Garden Tour  (May 12, 2024) is back after being sidelined by the pandemic. We need volunteers for all committees. If interested, please contact Bev Salas, salasminkhollow@gmail.com.

• House selection and docent recruitment

• Advertising

• Program

• Tickets

• Lew Wallace Children’s Art Show

• Transportation

Glass Recycling:  The DNA is working with the Raynolds Addition Neighborhood Association to find a site for glass recycling downtown. If you know of a site that might work, contact Karen Foss, karenfoss4@gmail.com.  Here are the requirements:

• Space needed:  24 x 9 feet, with 5 feet on each side for clearance

• 25 feet in overhead clearance

• At least 85 feet of unobstructed access at the front