North Fourth Street – Albuquerque’s Original Route 66 (New Mexico Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series)

Retired librarian Joe Sabatini will present an illustrated history of Fourth Street, which served as the first Albuquerque alignment of Route 66 from 1926 to 1937. He describes its evolution as a city street, a federal highway, a suburban commercial strip and a redeveloping urban transit corridor. He uses maps, postcards, photographs and Albuquerque Progress magazine issues to celebrate “the most beautiful ugly street in the world.”

This event is part of the New Mexico Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series taking place throughout 2026 in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Presented as a collaborative community effort, the series is sponsored by the Albuquerque Historical Society, East Mountain Historical Society, Historic Albuquerque, Inc., and Los Ranchos Historical Society, with support from the City of Albuquerque, City of Rio Rancho, and Bernalillo County.

All lectures are free and open to the public, with presentations repeating at multiple locations to make the history of Route 66 accessible to as many people as possible. Follow the series on Facebook for upcoming dates, topics, and locations as Albuquerque and its neighboring communities mark 100 years of the Mother Road.