Acknowledging “mixed feelings,” the owners of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, announced they have put the iconic Route 66 property on the market.
Co-owners Kevin and Nancy Mueller made the announcement Monday night in a Facebook post. It stated:
We’ve given our hearts, souls, and financial resources over eight seasons, working to make the facility and experience the best it can possibly be. Business has never been better. The popularity of Route 66 travel continues to expand, with more Americans, and more travelers from all over the world making trips every year. The motel herself is in better physical condition that she has been in a very, very long time. We believe we have positioned the Blue Swallow to survive and thrive for many years into the future.
There’s a time for everything, and we think now is the time to pass the torch on to another generation of caretakers. It has been a wonderful experience, filled with hard work, laughter, tears, and long-lasting relationships. We plan to be diligent in selecting new owners who will take care of the building of course, but more importantly, someone who will continue to provide the kind of service and hospitality that the Blue Swallow has been known for since the days of Lillian Redman.
They stated the motel would continue to operate “as usual” until the sale goes through.
Hamilton Realty in Tucumcari listed the motel for $1.2 million.
The Blue Swallow, built in 1939 by W.A. Huggins, remains one of the best-preserved motor courts on Route 66 with its original attached garages, stucco walls and its eye-catching neon sign (erected in the 1950s) and architectural neon. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
Part of the Blue Swallow’s allure was Lillian Redman, a former Harvey Girl who owned the motel for more than 40 years. Her kindness to travelers was the stuff of legend, but her perseverance after Interstate 40 bypassed the town kept the motel alive when many others closed during that era. The Blue Swallow’s renaissance began after Dale and Hilda Bakke purchased the motel and began restoring it in the late 1990s.
(Image of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, by Sylvain L via Flickr)
I wonder if the room rates will drop at all….kinda expensive just to stay for a night or two.
It’s really not expensive at all compared to a nice chain. It’s all about the experience.
I doubt they’ll go down after paying $1.2 million for the place!
I doubt the rates will go down after paying $1.2 million for the place!
This is very sad news, indeed. The Muellers have been the best stewards of the Blue Swallow by far since Lillian left us. It will be hard to find someone equivalent. Here’s the last film I shot there, just a few seconds long:
I thank the owners for all of their hard work, and wish them good luck in any future endeavors.
It is sad news but we understand as motel owners the hard work goes into managing one. We are also considering to sell Best Budget Inn by Kellogg Lake on Route 66 in Carthage MO. anyone interested please contact us at 417 358 6911. price to sell $850K
I stayed at the Blue Swallow in 2011. Kevin Mueller had never been to the top of Tucumcari Mesa yet, so we had a little adventure, when he took me up the next morning in his SUV. I certainly understand the wisdom of “Quitting while you’re ahead” but this strikes me as a sad moment. Kevin & Nancy did so much work on the Blue Swallow; in the first place, rescuing it from a previous owner who was, I take it, less than fully sensitive to the history of that building and the tradition of that business; and then trying to catch up on years of neglect, making sorely needed repairs and improvements. It was a HELL of a lot of work, and some of it was expensive. These days, most people wouldn’t bother. Maybe the Muellers just need a rest.
I wish them both well in whatever chapter comes next in their lives and hope that the Blue Swallow will have a worthy owner.
They have certainly made the place into a MUST DO experience and it is clean and well maintained.
It was great to see and feel what it might have been like in its heyday
You can certainly find cheaper places to stay in Tucumcari and along the old Route 66, but you’d be hard pressed to find one that will give you a long lasting memory of a glorious time on The Mother Road.
Nor will you find the kind or cameraderied with other travelers from the USA and all over the world that stay there just for the experience.
The memories I had from my stay there have lasted long past the memory of the few dollars I might have spent than a cheaper motel.