El Rey Theater — Route 66

El Rey Theater opened on Albuquerque’s Central Avenue in June 1941 as a movie house founded by Luigi Puccini. Its Spanish Mission Revival facade still marks Route 66 at 622 Central Avenue SW. The neighboring Golden West Saloon, named for an opera by Puccini’s cousin Giacomo, was lost to a 2008 fire; its surviving shell became an open-air dance floor attached to the theater. El Rey now hosts live performances by touring musicians and local artists. The venue’s shift from cinema to concert hall is part of the changing cultural life of downtown Albuquerque.