Pig 'n Calf Lunch
a.k.a. Pig Stand Cafe;Univeristy Cafe
2106 Central Ave. SE., Albuquerque, NMThe Pig 'n Calf Lunch building is one of the last largely unaltered structures associated with the pre-war period of roadside dining remaining along Route 66. When it opened in May 1935, Albuquerque Progress, a monthly business magazine published by a local bank, described it as "attractively white-tiled inside and out" with "private booths and a horseshoe counter." By the late 1930s, the business was using the name "Pig Stand." However, it is not clear whether it was a part of the Pig Stand chain based in Dallas. Although predating the realignment of Route 66 along Albuquerque's Central Avenue by eighteen months, the restaurant was quick to take advantage of its location on the popular highway and gave its location as "opposite university on Route 66" in postcards published in the late 1930s. Because of this close historic association with automobile tourism along Route 66, the property is eligible under Criterion A. It is also eligible under Criterion C as a good example of the setting, location, and design of an early cafe catering primarily to motorists. of particular note are the exterior details such as the white tile with black courses and black friezes, suggesting the building as transitional from the popular Commercial Brick Style to the Moderne Style that would characterize many roadside related properties along Route 66.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.