History
History of the Lobo
The Lobo Theater opened on August 19, 1938 and was hailed as “the most modern movie theater in New Mexico”. Innovative features included air conditioning, a concrete projection booth to contain any fires ignited by the projector’s arc lamp, and a nursery that provided child care while mom and dad took in a show. The first movie was “In Old Chicago”, starring Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, and Don Ameche. Albuquerque’s population at the time was 35,000. UNM had only 3000 students, and its campus defined the eastern edge of town.
Late 30’s to early 60’s
From the late 30s through the early 60s the Lobo thrived showing Hollywood’s latest hits. Nob Hill was Albuquerque’s newest shopping district and a vital part of the Route 66 highway linking east with west.
Classic movies such as Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Grapes of Wrath, Casablanca, The African Queen, High Noon, Some Like It Hot, Ben Hur, North By Northwest, Psycho, and To Kill a Mockingbird were shown, and greats such as Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, and Gregory Peck were featured.
“New Albuquerque” and “Old Town” merged in 1949, and the city grew rapidly to 200,000 by the late-50s. Albuquerque began its march eastward, initially with the development of neighborhoods in the southeast heights, and later the northeast.
Hard Times
The popularity of the Lobo and its neighboring East Central businesses began declining in the late-60s and 70s as Albuquerque’s suburbs spread farther east and north, as the construction of I-40 made Route 66 obsolete, and as the development of Coronado and Winrock malls undercut the Nob Hill shopping district.
During the 80s and 90s the suburbs and retail businesses continued their march east and north. UNM grew rapidly, reaching a student population of 25,000. In response to these changes, Nob Hill businesses became more oriented toward the university community. The Lobo’s showings increasingly featured foreign, art, and countercultural films.
As the millennium approached the Lobo went through its most difficult period. Crowds continued to dwindle, and for a number of years the only showing was The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Friday and Saturday nights. The building’s interior fell into disrepair, and the Lobo eventually closed its doors in 2001.
A New Beginning
City on a Hill leased the Lobo Theater in Fall of 2003, renovated the interior, and began gathering in the theater in the spring of 2004. A new stage was constructed, the seats recovered, new audio-visual equipment installed, and the lobby completely redone. All these improvements were made in ways that retained the theater motif and function of this historic building.