Gallup district placed on National Register

Gallup Commercial Historic District

The Gallup Commercial Historic District in Gallup, New Mexico, that includes parts of Route 66 recently was designated to the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation became effective June 21, according to an email this week from the National Park Service.

The boundaries of the Gallup Commercial Historic District are Route 66 to the north, South Seventh Street to the west, West Coal Avenue to the south and South Puerco Drive on the east. The narrow district totals about 16 blocks.

Most travelers know about the marked Route 66 in that part of town. However, Coal Avenue also was part of U.S. 66 for a time.

According to the application, the district includes these properties on the National Register: The Rex Hotel, Old U.S. Post Office, Palace Lodge, El Morro Theater, Grand Hotel (Ricca’s Mercantile), White Cafe and the Chief Theater.

The district also contains dozens of buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The application also noted neon signs for businesses along Route 66 and Coal Avenue. It cited ones at Richardson Trading Company, Jerry’s Mexican American Food Cafe and the Lexington Hotel, which has one of the oldest neon signs on Route 66.

The district doesn’t include all of Route 66 in Gallup. Famous properties such as Route 66’s El Rancho Hotel are not included. However, it remains the most historically intact part of the city.

(Image of Richardson Trading Company in downtown Gallup by Dennis Grice via Flickr)

3 thoughts on “Gallup district placed on National Register

  1. Gallup is a marvelous place and we especially love Richardson’s Trading Post. The last time we were there I was visiting with a lady clerk who had to excuse herself to take a telephone call from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. They needed ‘expert advice’ on a Native American item and deemed her the ‘Go-To Person!’
    Then, we suddenly noted all the staff left their posts, rushing to the store’s front to greet an elderly man. We joined too. He was one of the few still-living, greatly respected WWII Code Talkers. All over the community, we saw cultural landmarks, met remarkable locals and found the town to be one of the highlights of Route 66. Therefore, it is appropiate this honor should be bestowed on the wonderfully preserved community’s structures.

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