Plan

Belief

Assignments

Clients

Resume

Services

Community

Jones Automotive/ Kellys Brew Pub

Location

4223 Central SE—Nobhill

City

Albuquerque NM

Size

14,000 sf of bldg

History:

“From its construction in 1939, the Jones Motor Company building has been a landmark along the east Central Ave. commercial strip.  Located at what was then the eastern edge of commercial development along Central Avenue, the building served both motorists traveling Route 66 and the early east Mesa suburbs of Albuquerque.  The owner of the dealership was Ralph Jones, an ardent booster of Route 66 who served as president of Route 66 Association as well as President of the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of New Mexico State Highway Commission during the late 1940s.  His daughter recalls that her father's service station and garage was one of the first that westbound motorists encountered as they entered Albuquerque.

During the first few years of business, many of those requiring auto repairs were Okies.  So overloaded were their vehicles that Jones decided to build a long carport along the southern wall of the garage so that they might unload their cars and trucks in the shade in order to make the vehicles' mechanical parts accessible for repair.

The building is significant for its association with growth of travel along Route 66 and is thus eligible under Criterion "A" (Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history).  With its corner siting and its Moderne Style marking it as one of the most noteworthy commercial structures of this style in Albuquerque, the building is also eligible under Criterion "C" as a good example of the location, style, plan and materials reflecting the evolution of the service station property type." -  David J. Kammer, PhD - Contract Historian - National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - 11/22/93

Problem:

Our client was in a non-controlling entity in a partnership that had gone sour.  The inability of the partnership to agree led to the disuse of this building for almost a decade.  Our client wished to dissolve his interest in the partnership to the highest bidder.  Realizing that the highest and best use of the site would allow the best possible sales price, we assembled all three parties into an arrangement whereby they would agree to sell.

At the time, two interested buyers vied for the property—Kelly’s Brew Pub located in a building adjacent to the west, and the County of Bernalillo who sough to use the property as a community center.

Results:

Our job was simple—expose the property to the widest possible audience, obtain the highest sales price in the smallest amount of time.  The politics made it complex—a rogue county commissioner set on owning the property that was only marginally in the publics interest to be held in public ownership, obstructed many purchasers from making offers or securing a deal.  In the end, the Seller sold the property close to list price to the high bidder.  A summary Editorial can be found here.

Follow the fight between the public sector and the private sector for control of the building