village of los lunas could see construction of route 66 museum

For just over a decade, the famed Route 66, which connects Chicago with southern California, ran through the Village of Los Lunas.

That roadway, according to a study released several years ago by the Village called Los Lunas Route 66, “brought hundreds of thousands of travelers through the Village of Los Lunas before it was re-routed, spurring the creation of many businesses such as garages, hotels, and cafes designed to serve the motoring population.”

Now, Village officials would like to commemorate the historic importance of Route 66 in Los Lunas with the construction of a museum and visitors center.

To that end, Los Lunas, in conjunction with the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, has received a $25,000 grant to facilitate planning for the new building.

That money is coming from the National Endowment for the Arts.

If all goes as planned, master planning for the site of the new museum could begin in 2019 with a construction Request for Proposals issued after that.

By Garry Boulard