Albuquerque Buys ATSF Shops for Museum

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:58 pm

From Trains.com Newswire:

Quote:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Albuquerque City Council Monday authorized the purchase of the former Santa Fe locomotive shops for $9.4 million, the Albuquerque Tribune reported. The shops, located in the Barelas neighborhood of the city, include about 25 buildings. One 166,000-square-foot structure will be used in part to house the long-awaited Wheels Museum and at least 30 affordable housing units.

Article link posted to Flimsies and awaiting review; more at Trains.com including discussion/details of restoration of ATSF 4-8-4 2926; more on the latter at http://www.nmslrhs.org/ .

o anderson · **Posted:** Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:22 pm

This year led to some interesting developments in New Mexico. The Wheels Museum seems to be taking up residency in the blacksmith shop at the old Santa Fe facilities in Albuquerque. This was part of a recommendation prepared by the Urban Land Institute, earlier in the year. Interestingly, the organization is recommended to be a tenant, paying market rates for their land. That is not a stable relationship such as that a museum located on university property might have. We have discussed here that owning your own land, or a very stable relationship with an agency, is key to longevity.

The ULI design drawings indicates the typical urban loft renovation, but the report held back from saying it was a viable development site. Instead it said that a specialized single use ought to be found. To this end, Albuquerque Studios has taken up residence in the facility. Sketches on the Wheels website seem to indicate a new "roundhouse" building built around the remaining turntable - but all the tracks replaced with parkland. It is not clear to me if the transfer table will be retained.

I suppose there is a relationship, but I am not sure of the connection between Wheels and the ATSF 2926 group (NMSL&RHS - one of the longest acronyms I know).

Here is an excerpt from Wheels Museum president Leba Freed's recent message:

"The summer has brought major good developments for WHEELS. The Mayor has given his approval for us to "warehouse" at the Backshops and we are in the process of preparing most of the storehouse's, 20,000 sq ft for this purpose. Our incredible volunteers, Barry Lyon and Dick Maki are painting the inside of the building after cleaning it, and doing some repairs. Another volunteer, Dan Badgley, has donated paint. We have moved the Clovis layout, a large HO gauge layout, into the building. This layout has been appraised at $150,000.00. We are cooperating in an agreement with Build New Mexico for payment from lease of a portion of the property to Albuquerque Studios, a part of which calls for us to be on the site watching what takes place there. "

http://www.wheelsmuseum.org/

Urban Land Institute Report:
http://www.wheelsmuseum.org/ULI%20FINAL%20REPORT.ABQ%20Rail%20Yards%20Advisory%20Services%20Panel.pdf

nathansixchime · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 4:03 pm **Posts:** 948

Of interest from the Urband Land Institute's Report:

Quote:

But for the persistence, energy, and dedication of the sponsors of theWHEELS Museum, the current motivation to discuss the redevelopment of the rail yards property would not exist. Their commitment to the history of the railroad and its significant effect on the development of Albuquerque has brought the redevelopment of the rail yards to this level of discussion and evaluation.

The panel, therefore, recommends that the WHEELS Museum is deserving of an honored position in this development process. Given the significant amount of public monies that have been
invested and that will be required to bring this project to fruition, however, the museum needs to demonstrate its viability and make an economic contribution to the success of the project ultimately undertaken.

The panel proposes the following terms for the WHEELS Museum’s involvement in redevelopment
procedures:
• The WHEELS Museum should be granted occupancy of the Blacksmith Shop on a leased basis as part of Phase I of the development program.
• The lease should be for a term of five years with recurring five-year options. No payment will be due in the first year.
• Beginning in the second year, the museum should pay market rent for the space. The rent
will be determined by the MAI appraiser.
• During the first year, the museum must obtain possession of at least two vintage locomotives
and establish a $60 million endowment for the purpose of covering operating and rent expenses
without depending on public subsidy.
• The WHEELS Museum may have a right of first offer, with 30 working days’ notice, on adjacent
space, provided the museum is current in its obligations.

Museum planning and development is a specific niche activity within the broader world of institutional development. Museums serve a particular educational and cultural function within a community. In addition, museum operations are a critical component to ensure viable programming based on a strategic collection plan and supported by adequate staffing, an appropriate budget, and a generous endowment sufficient to allow a museum institution
to serve its mission. Albuquerque currently is home to several museums, some located on the University of New Mexico campus.

KL

Stationary Steam · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:36 pm

I am very confused. The Wheels museum is supposed to pay market rates to LEASE a shop building but in order to do so they must have a $60,000,000 endowment in place AND acquire two locomotives. If the Wheels museum could do that then why don't they just buy the entire complex for the comparable paltry $9 million themselves?

The Urban Land Institute does not appear to have a grasp on reality. Where is a non profit going to get $60,000,000 for an endowment? They would not need such an endowment if they had direct ownership of their own building and did not have to pay rent for it. It doesn't appear that the City really needs that rent money.

The Wheels Museum need to cut their losses, get as far away from these people as possible and buy their own property. BTW, did you also read the bit about sharing the same building with "affordable housing units"? All housing is affordable by someone, but this particular phrase is code for low income housing or the projects and are not the people I would want living near a museum. For example, the B&O Museum is surrounded by "affordable housing units" and you see what the First Mile looks like.

Randolph R. Ruiz · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:08 am

I do not know much of the particulars of this project, but it is my understanding that $60M is not out of line with what a typical urban museum should have. Museums are generally not expected to be able to support themselves from gate revenue. Economic sustainability usually comes through a combination of admissions, donations, subsidies (such as through rent), and an operating endowment.

Many railroad museums have been (un?)fortunate in being able to sustain themselves from the revenue generated by a ride. This has allowed a lot of places to squeak by for years without ever generating the sophisticated fundraising abilities needed to make necessary capital improvements such as indoor storage and display (or bathrooms, fire protection).

The $9M purchase price is just the start of project costs. The site will probably require a lot of work and a lot more money before the Wheels Museum can open. Like I said, I do not know much of the particulars, but an urban museum without a "ride" will need some other means of support than admissions, and an endowment is the best way to guarantee the long-term viability of a new museum.

As for affordable housing, there are many different definitions of this, but it is usually a factor of income, and area housing prices. There are a lot of young, educated professionals that qualify here in San Francisco due to the extremely high price of real estate. No one is building "projects" anymore. New subsidized housing developments are a big improvement over the stuff done in the 1950s and 60s.

Stationary Steam · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:40 am

This entire project seems to me to have barriers built in that just about prohibit the establishement of the museum. Why should a non profit museum have to pay market rates to LEASE a building? Why cannot they make an effort to OWN their site?

What really strikes me as odd is that one side of this building will be leased to the museum at market rates yet the other side will practically be given away as subsidized housing. Why the double standard? Why the bias against the museum? If they can afford to subsidize the housing then why can't they afford to at least donate that half of the building to the museum?

Is it so much easier to raise millions of dollars in Mew Mexico than it is in the northeast? We have a University here that is trying to raise $50,000,000 and it took years and a lot of fundraising by heavy hitters in the area to do that. Am I to believe that this small museum is going to have an easier time to raise 60 mil than our University?

Something is fishy here.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:45 am

Fire struck the still-vacant shops complex today.

More coming in Trains Newswire.

David Notarius · **Posted:** Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:43 am

Latest

http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/fir ... e/4877556/

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:08 am

More/better:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1162508/afd- ... yards.html