Maybe by the year 2017, we’ll get to see this again.
Dan Uscian recently uploaded footage from June 1994 when the neon tubing of the historic El Vado Motel along Route 66 in Albuquerque still glowed brightly, including its memorably designed sign.
No one has seen this sight in more than a decade.
A developer who bought the property in 2005 closed it and announced he would bulldoze it for luxury townhouses. The city refused to let that happen without a fight, as El Vado was on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a city landmark. Eventually, the city seized the property, and a developer now plans to redevelop El Vado into a boutique hotel, along with a food court, events center and amphitheater.
The video includes bonus footage of the neon at Garcia’s Kitchen, as well.
(Screen capture of El Vado Motel sign in 1994)
The sign has been restored and will be prominently displayed in May as part of a new Route 66 exhibition at the Museum of Art and History in Albuquerque.
P.S. It was my first choice for the show at the Autry, but it could not be worked out.