Historic Route 66 Diner Collapses in Dramatic Footage
The collapse didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but it was equally shocking to watch.
Lindy's Diner, in southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico, had reportedly been issued a red tag by city officials on April 20 because of its "unsafe structure." Exactly one week later, a video captured the moment the wall on the east side of the historic diner collapsed.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported. But the video shows the moment a car drives by the diner before the entire wall crumbles below.
Fire officials told Albuquerque's KOAT 7 that they had to evacuate some of the adjoining structures of the building.
Lindy's Diner Owners Speak Out
"It's tragic. I'm sure that building will now be demolished. It's a historic landmark. That's 35 years of my life right there," Co-owner Dawn Vatoseow told KOAT 7.
It's not the first time the owners have spoken out about the diner's structural issues. In fact, it was a KOAT 7 investigation that initially triggered the city to look into concerns about the building's unsafe structure following numerous complaints.
Related: Route 66 Turns 100: Discover the Ultimate Road Trip One Boutique Hotel at a Time
Vatoseow told the station that they were also aware of the structural problems and sought to fix them by applying for city and state grants, to no avail.
"Most of those grants have to be picked up by a municipality. They have to be the ones to apply for the grant. The money doesn't come directly to you. It comes to the city of Albuquerque," Vateseow told KOAT 7. "Then, they dispense it out to the people that have applied for those grants. It is a lengthy process and everything takes money. There's only so much that you can afford to do without help trying to keep this building going."
City officials told KOAT 7 that they "proactively assisted Lindy's Diner in applying for the 'Preserve Route 66 Combined Grant' in 2025," and received funds to expand and make upgrades.
In the end, major structural issues forced its closure.
"Well, it certainly isn't the way that we wanted to go out, that's for sure. I would have liked to have gone out on our own terms and say goodbye to our customers," Vatoseow told KOAT 7.
Watch the Wild Footage Below
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fFxlVbfGr3Q
Lindy's Diner Will Try To Reopen
Vatoseow says plans are to raise the money to pay for the structural repairs, which are estimated at a whopping $250,000. Locals launched a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $100,000. So far, it has raised just less than $8,000.
KOAT 7 reports that the owners have 14 days from the date of the notice issued on April 20 to respond, submit a structural engineer's report, acquire a building permit, take corrective action, and comply, all of which seems damn near impossible given the diner's inability to find the funds to fix the initial problems.
Vatoseow's family has owned Lindy's Diner since the 1970s. The diner, a campaign stop for many aspiring politicians, including presidential hopefuls, originally opened in 1929 under the name Coney Island Cafe.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, it was known as one of the longest operating diners on Route 66, with numerous movies and TV shows filmed there.
Lindy's Diner's collapse comes just as The Mother Road celebrates its centennial anniversary.
source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/route-66-diner-building-collapse-video-new-mexico
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