What's going on, Albuquerque?

what's up with Mr. K's (formerly The New Chinatown)

Anybody got the scoop on why Fujiyama at 5001 Central is being demolished?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 17, 2012 at 10:34am

It's been empty for quite some time. I imagine the owners were finding it too hard to rent such a large space, which must have had a serious maintenance budget to boot. Fujiyama only made use of one of the three dining rooms, leaving the others empty. It's a bummer; it was a neat building and I have lots of good memories of both New Chinatown and the Polynesian Lounge. There are efforts afoot to fund an Asian Community Center somewhere in southeast Albuquerque, and I'd had fantasies they might end up at New Chinatown, but probably NC's "traditional"/1950s-kitsch vibe isn't what the Asian community is looking to project...

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Permalink Reply by once banned twice shy on October 17, 2012 at 12:11pm

The caption in the Journal under a picture of the demolition said the building had been damaged by fire. I echo Phil_0 in feeling this is a sad thing--it was a cool building and it will be a total bummer to have yet another vacant lot sitting on that section of Central. The city really needs to think about its planning in regard to these things.

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Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 17, 2012 at 1:27pm

Agreed. Has even one of the bulldozed motel lots on Central east of Carlisle or in EDO been filled in the last ten years? I don't think so, and the vacant space does less than nothing for the neighborhood.

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Permalink Reply by once banned twice shy on October 17, 2012 at 4:24pm

Here's my dream: the city turns the lots into community gardens. Look there's water and electric (if needed) to the sites already. Apartment dwellers could rent a small spot (on a sliding scale) and have some raised beds. They could even put up little garden houses, like they do in community gardens in Europe. Wouldn't that be the bomb?

Or would it be too socialist...?

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Permalink Reply by Ron Da Bomb on October 17, 2012 at 1:45pm

My old boss (RIP) used to LOVE to take the office out to New Chinatown for lunch meetings. I remember they always had red chile enchiladas on their Chinese lunch buffet.

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Permalink Reply by Scrymgeour on October 19, 2012 at 1:26pm

Does anyone have (or know where to find) pictures of this building - especially interior pictures during the heyday in the 60s? Love mid-century "tiki" type architecture and have always been fascinated by this building but never made it inside to check it out.

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Permalink Reply by once banned twice shy on October 22, 2012 at 12:19pm

It wasn't there in the 60's. That building was built somewhere in the '70's. The people who owned that restaurant (New Chinatown) had their original restaurant in a building that maybe was on that block, even (can't remember exactly). They were "the" Chinese restaurant in town. The brother of the owner had his own restaurant (a bit better in my opinion) that was kind of dive-y and was located where Il Vicino is now. His wife, the hostess and waitress was quite the character. Cannot remember for the life of me the name of the place, though.

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Permalink Reply by AlbuquirkyPhotos on October 22, 2012 at 12:28pm

China Garden as I recall, in the 1970s and early 1980s.

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Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 22, 2012 at 12:39pm

I was a little kid when they closed, but I thought it was China Dragon. Their (really cool) neon featured a dragon as I recall.

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Permalink Reply by SweetCaroline on October 20, 2012 at 8:35am

I moved to ABQ from San Francisco in 1993. I went to New Chinatown and asked the hostess if they served 'dim sum' meals. She laughed and said, "No. People in ABQ want 'all you can eat buffets for $5' ".