Homes with History – 853 Palace Avenue

By Adrienne DeGuere, Editor and Office Administrator, Sotheby’s International Realty

201305412_3_800_600With close proximity to the Plaza and prized C-2 zoning, this 1693 square foot adobe was the home of the Palace Avenue Grocery for over 40 years, one of the last neighborhood grocery stores to remain in business after the turn of the 21st century.

Built by Meliton and Yolanda Vigil in the early 1960s, Yolanda operated the grocery until her death in 2007. The store succeeded in adapting to the changing needs of its clientele over time, from selling pantry staples in its early days to adopting a convenience store model by the 1990s, however Yolanda continued to offer frito pies that she handmade daily.

The history of Yolanda’s family in Santa Fe dates back hundreds of years, her mother being a Jacona Land Grant heir and a Roybal whose ancestors came to Northern New Mexico at the request of Don Diego de Vargas after the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.

Meliton and Yolanda met at a party in a house next door to the Palace Grocery when they were still in high school, married soon after, and raised their family in a compound on Palace Avenue where they lived for the rest of their lives.

853 Palace Avenue MLS #201305412

853 Palace Ave

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