Friday Funny: Albuquerque's New Castle

"Everybody knows where the castle is going to be.

The claim comes from James Martinez as he glances out the front windows of his Fastsigns business, admiring what has been a Downtown curiosity for months.

Across the way, jammed into the southeast corner of Second Street and Lead Avenue Southwest like a grown tree into a flowerpot, is the structure inspiring his statement: a three-story, 8,000-square-foot home-to-be with towers and a mansard roof hinting more of a European castle than a Duke City dwelling.

"Everybody who passes by goes, `Uh, what is it?' " says Martinez. "We look at it every day. Everybody thinks it's pretty cool."

So cool, in fact, that a change to his business cards might be coming to capitalize on the behemoth's visibility.

"As soon as the castle gets built, we'll change them so they say, `Across from the castle,'" Martinez says.

'As soon as the castle gets built, we'll change them so they say, 'Across from the castle,' ' Martinez says." "