By Roberto Rosales and Pat Davis, The Paper. — A city-contracted demolition crew stepped in this morning to bring down what was left of the 121-year old Bliss Building after the building’s owners walked away from plans to clean up and demolish the site where an exterior wall suddenly collapsed onto a Downtown city street in April.
For the last 62 years, two generations of the Vatoseow family had operated restaurants from the corner. The most recent, Lindy’s Diner, was a favorite backdrop for movie crews and easy meeting spot for city politicians grabbing a coffee or lunch away from City Hall a few blocks away. In April, the building had a partial collapse, exposing a large portion of the building and rendering it uninhabitable.
For months, the city pressed the owners to demolish the building, but after those plans stalled the city stepped in. The owners obtained a demolition permit on May 29 but those plans “fell apart,” officials said. The city then moved in to perform the work and placed a lien on the property to recover costs. “The City agreed to step aside based on the property owners’ word that they would take care of the demolition themselves,” said Planning Department Director Alan Varela in a written statement. “It has become very clear that they are unable or unwilling to perform the demolition in a timely manner, so the City is jumping back in to stop more harm from being inflicted on our downtown and neighboring businesses.
City photos of the Lindy’s Diner and Bliss Building condition after the wall collapse in April, 2026. (Courtesy City of Albuquerque)
Final clean up will take several weeks, city officials say. Drivers and pedestrians should expect temporary road closures at 5th Street and Central will remain in effect due to ongoing structural instability and safety concerns. Central is expected to fully reopen by July 15, while 5th Street will remain closed for the duration of the demolition.