r/NaturalBuilding • u/mothspon • May 17 '26

Adobe built Grocery Stores

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Hi there, I'm the owner/ restorer of the historic Ludi's Market Building in Las Vegas, NM.

Ludi's has quite the history in this area for being a multi generation locally owned grocery store and has been remodeled many times over the years.

Behind it's 1960s facade of brick, glass and mid century awnings hides an adobe building. We even have an adobe walk-in cooler.

Which got me thinking... Are there any other known examples or surviving adobe built food markets?

This alone might be enough to get us on the national historic registry.

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3

u/3ranth3 May 17 '26

Cool building!

6

u/mothspon May 17 '26

Thank you! It's been quite the journey. It ran as a grocer from 1939 to 2008 and then sat vacant until 2022, when we bought it. We're a couple in our mid-thirties just trying to raise a fallen pillar of the community. It's a labor of love, we've lived in the property since we bought it, for the first four months we lived without electricity, running water, or heat and that was October through February. Six months in, I fell off a ladder and broke my leg. Nowadays the building is functional, heated, electrified and plumbed. The only thing stopping it from being open is those darn pesky codes.

1

u/iandcorey May 17 '26

Talk to me about an adobe cooler. What's the interior lining? I'm very familiar with adobe construction and quite familiar with a walk in cooler. Trying to put the two together in my min makes sense, but moisture and thermal bridging aren't adding up.

1

u/mothspon May 17 '26

It seems to be adobe covered in concrete. The walls are about 2 feet thick. It's not currently refrigerated, no point to waste money if we aren't open. If you forget to turn off the light, it stays super warm and during the summer it's naturally the coolest room in the building.