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20-560: The Dennis Chavez Federal Building is a high-rise federal office building and courthouse located at 500 Gold Avenue SW in Downtown Albuquerque , New Mexico . It was completed in 1965 and was built with the purpose of housing the U.S. District Court as well as offices of various federal agencies including the U.S. Postal Service , Veterans Administration , U.S. Public Health Service , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , and Bureau of Indian Affairs . Originally known simply as

40-525: A 36-foot (11 m) sculpture of the scales of justice. Ground was broken on the project in May 2001 and the building was topped out the following June. The courthouse opened for business on January 20, 2004, replacing the old Metro Courthouse at 4th and Roma. From 2005 to 2009, the Metro Courthouse was at the center of a high-profile fraud investigation, during which allegations emerged that

60-639: A fare-free zone downtown. In addition to local bus transit, the Alvarado Transportation Center also incorporates Amtrak and Greyhound bus facilities, as well as a stop on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail line. The Rail Runner Express provides commuter service seven days a week along a 96.5-mile corridor that runs through multiple counties in New Mexico through 13 stations. EDo

80-612: A group of conspirators had siphoned off $ 4.2 million from the courthouse construction project in a scheme described by the Albuquerque Journal as "breathtaking in scope and star power." Eight people were eventually named as defendants in the case, including the former president pro tempore of the New Mexico State Senate and a former mayor of Albuquerque . The investigation ended with six of the accused pleading guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud , while

100-617: Is a courthouse in downtown Albuquerque , New Mexico , housing the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court . The building is located on the northwest corner of 4th Street and Lomas Boulevard in an area known as the Courthouse District . The courthouse rises 175 feet (53 m) and has nine stories. Designed by DCSW Architects in a contemporary Art Deco style, it features a three-story rotunda finished with granite, marble, and travertine and

120-520: Is a small concentration of government and office buildings on Gold Avenue which includes the Dennis Chavez Federal Building , Gold Building , and Simms Building . Amy Biehl High School is also located in this district. This is the smallest district, encompassing the area south of Central Avenue and east of First Street. Most of the district is occupied by Alvarado Transportation Center . The southernmost part of downtown,

140-705: Is named for the three major courthouses located at the intersection of Fourth and Lomas: Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse , Bernalillo County Courthouse, and the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse . On the north side of downtown along the railroad tracks, the Warehouse District includes the area between Second and the railroad tracks, north of the Convention Center to Slate Avenue. As its name implies, this area contains mostly warehouses from

160-418: Is served by several ABQ Ride routes, both ART routes, and is adjacent to the Alvarado Transportation Center. Atrisco Heritage Academy HS , Kirtland Air Force Base , and National Museum of Nuclear Science & History are adjacent to but outside of the city limits. Rio Grande HS and Sandia Peak Tramway are near but not in the city limits. Metropolitan Courthouse The Metropolitan Courthouse

180-415: Is the main east–west thoroughfare through the center of Downtown, while Lomas Boulevard (originally New York Avenue) is a major east–west arterial through the north part of Downtown. Lead and Coal Avenues are significant one-way east–west thoroughfares through the south side of Downtown. The streets start with First Street just west of the railroad tracks and increase in number moving westward. Fourth Street

200-619: The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System is also located in this district. This district is centered along Central Avenue and Gold Avenue east of First Street. It contains most of downtown Albuquerque's historic buildings as well as most of its shopping, dining, and nightlife destinations. Notable landmarks in this district include the KiMo Theater , Occidental Life Building , First National Bank Building , and Sunshine Building . There

220-483: The Alvarado Transportation Center . ABQ RIDE operated a free circulator bus service in the downtown area named Downtown Get Around (or "D-Ride" for short), which was replaced by various local routes on May 12, 2018, such as 12th Street/Rio Grande (routes #36 and #37) and Menaul (route #8). All inbound routes to the Alvarado Transportation Center , except route #66 and ART and ARTx routes, have

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240-540: The Casa District includes the area between Gold and Coal Avenue, extending all the way west to Tenth Street. This is a primarily residential district, with a large number of loft apartment buildings. Alvarado Square, the location of the PNM Building and the headquarters of Bernalillo County , is also located in the Casa District. Downtown Albuquerque contains most of the city's highrise buildings, including

260-630: The U.S. Courthouse and Federal Office Building, the building was renamed in honor of longtime U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez in 1976. The Dennis Chavez Building was designed by the Albuquerque firm of Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn , which had previously been responsible for other local highrises like the Simms Building and Bank of the West Tower . The steel-framed building is faced with polished granite, with New Mexico marble used in

280-699: The West, and the Amtrak and New Mexico Rail Runner Express railroad tracks to the East. The area on the east side of the railroad tracks is known as East Downtown or EDo. The downtown area can be easily accessed by several freeway exits from Interstate 25 and Interstate 40 , which border the adjacent neighborhoods of EDo and Wells Park, respectively. Downtown Albuquerque is laid out in a standard grid pattern, with numbered north–south streets and named east–west avenues . Central Avenue (originally known as Railroad Avenue)

300-592: The four tallest. The tallest downtown buildings are listed below: There are a number of buildings in downtown that are on the National Register of Historic Places : Downtown is the center of public transit in the city, and is served by a network of ABQ RIDE routes including local routes, both the Red and Blue Albuquerque Rapid Transit BRT routes, and the Blue ARTx route, most of which include stops at

320-558: The ground floor lobby. It is 197 feet (60 m) in height and has 13 above-ground floors with a basement and underground parking garage. Hegeman-Harris Company of New York City was the general contractor. When built, it was the third-tallest building in New Mexico after the Bank of the West Tower and the New Mexico Bank & Trust Building . It is currently the seventh-tallest building in Albuquerque. The District Court relocated to

340-581: The newly built Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse in 1998, but the U.S. Bankruptcy Court is still housed in the Dennis Chavez Building. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. Downtown Albuquerque Downtown is roughly defined as the central area bordered by Marble Avenue to the North, Coal Avenue to the South, Seventh and Tenth Streets to

360-715: The railroad era. The Plaza District is the central area of downtown, bounded by Roma, Copper, Seventh, and the railroad tracks. It is centered on Civic Plaza and includes many of Albuquerque's large office and government buildings including the Albuquerque City-County Building, the Convention Center, Albuquerque Plaza , the Compass Bank Building , and the Albuquerque Petroleum Building . The Main Library of

380-426: Was originally the main north–south thoroughfare through Downtown but today it is discontinuous, interrupted by Civic Plaza. The two block stretch between Central and Civic Plaza was once converted into a pedestrian mall, but was reverted to a vehicular roadway in late 2014. Since these developments took place Second Street has been the main north–south street through downtown. Fourth Street through downtown Albuquerque

400-401: Was part of U.S. Route 66 prior to the route's 1937 realignment. Afterwards, Route 66 ran along Central Avenue until its decommissioning. Downtown Albuquerque is divided into six official districts, which are identified by a unified system of signage and icons. Located on the north side of downtown, this district is bounded by Marble Avenue, Roma Avenue, Second Street, and Seventh Street. It

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