Sunshine Building
120 Central SW, 1924, Henry C. Trost

The Sunshine Building was one of Albuquerque's first "skyscrapers" and its first great cinematic palace, with an elaborate 920-seat theater. Its "main street" appearance, stores and theater entrance at the street with solid commercial building above, reflects an era when local developers were anxious to make Albuquerque and all-American town, the equal of any on either coast or in the Midwest.

The man behind the Sunshine was Joseph Barnett who came to Albuquerque in 1883 from New York City with his family. The young Barnett went into real estate and became a prominent entertainment entrepreneur, once owning all the city's theaters. The Sunshine opened with much fanfare on May 1, 1924. Its first movie was "Scaramouche" starring Ramon Navarro; the showing included a special orchestra to accompany the film. The theater continued to screen films until the 1980s, undergoing a major interior remodeling in the 1960s to allow installation of a large screen. It was remodeled again in the 1990s to facilitate presentation of live music performances.

Henry C. Trost, the predominant architect in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico for the first three decades of this century, designed the building. He had pioneered the use of reinforced concrete in the Southwest and it is used here covered with variegated yellow brick. The restored marble and oak lobby boasts a rare remnant of the building's early days, an attendant-operated elevator, which is now the only one left in the state. The façade and lobby are both protected now that it is a landmark.