Microsoft’s Birthplace Converted into Apartments in $9M Redevelopment by NewLife Homes

By Anca Gagiuc, Associate Editor

Representatives from NewLife Homes and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) celebrated with the Mayor of Albuquerque Richard J. Berry and other officials the official groundbreaking of the Sundowner Uhuru, a residential redevelopment of the former Sundowner Motel. The event took place on Thursday, April 18^th, at 6101 Central Avenue NE.

The historic Route 66 motor lodge will be transformed into an apartment complex with 71 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. The project has been awarded a $500,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant by FHLB Dallas. The complex will feature market-rate units, as well as residences for very-low-income residents, veterans and their families, the homeless, and individuals suffering from mental illness. The development is estimated to cost $9 million and is part of a neighborhood revival project, which includes a growers market, retail and community space.

The Sundowner Motel was built in 1960 and has been “ground zero” in the personal computer revolution as this is where Bill Gates and Paul Allen lived during the early stages of Microsoft Corp. In fact, it’s where a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 computer was written in 1975.

NewLife Homes was formed in 1993 by seven New Mexico nonprofit corporations whose mission is to provide safe, affordable, quality housing for persons with mental and physical disabilities, the elderly and the homeless. They have provided housing for over 300 people with support provided by HUD, the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, the City of Albuquerque and private foundations.

Photo courtesy of: https://newlifehomesnm.com