Aztec Motel

Aztec Auto Court
Aztec Motel in 2010
Location 3821 Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Built 1932
Demolished 2011
NRHP reference # 93001217[1]
Added to NRHP November 22, 1993

The Aztec Motel, also known as the Aztec Auto Court or Aztec Lodge, was a historic motel located on former U.S. Route 66 in the Upper Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It was demolished in 2011 despite being the oldest continuously-operating Route 66 motel in New Mexico[2] and "one of the five most important motels left" in Albuquerque.[3]

History

The Aztec Motel was built in 1932 as the first of what would eventually be dozens of auto courts lining Central Avenue, which became U.S. Route 66 4 years later. During a remodeling of the building in the 1950's, the garages were walled in, bringin the number of units from 13 to 17, and a new neon sign replaced the original one.[4]

It was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties[5] and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1] The building was well known locally for its exterior decorations, which consisted of hundreds of found objects assembled in the 1990s by a resident of the motel. The work was described in the Albuquerque Journal as a "beloved local folk art installation".[2]

Aztec Motel sign seen from Central Ave.

In 2003, the Aztec Motel received a fund from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore its neon sign.[4]

The Aztec Motel was razed in early June 2011. The motel's owners cited its deteriorating condition and high maintenance costs as reasons for the demolition, estimating the building would cost $1 million to renovate.[3] The motel's neon sign was left standing and was intended to be part of future development on the site.[2] However, the sign ended up being removed in March 2015. The city declared its intention to restore and reinstall it at a to-be-determined location.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 Linthicum, Leslie (June 16, 2011). "History Takes a Lick on Route 66". Albuquerque Journal. NM. p. A1.
  3. 1 2 Tomlin, Alex (June 10, 2011). "Historic Route 66 motel demolished". KRQE News. NM. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Aztec Auto Court". US National Park Service.
  5. ↑ "Properties by County" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  6. ↑ Zucco, Erica (March 27, 2015). "Removed Route 66 sign to get second life". KOB Eyewitness News 4. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015.

Coordinates: 35°4′46.5″N 106°36′4.5″W / 35.079583°N 106.601250°W / 35.079583; -106.601250

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