Kimo Theater

Oct. 14, 2021: Traffic on Central Ave. (Route 66) in Albuquerque passes in front of the Kimo Theater. The Art Deco theater was built in 1927. in June 1927, the Albuquerque Journal newspaper sponsored a naming contest for the new theater. The newspaper stipulated that the winner must be a Native American name with six letters or less. Pablo Abeita beat out the 500 entries with "Kimo," meaning "mountain lion." He won $50.

After falling into disrepair, in 1977, the City of Albuquerque took over and restored the theater. In 2011, the city installed a replica of the original neon sign.