A local group that wants to save the historic El Pueblo Motel in Flagstaff, Arizona, has launched a fundraising campaign to help in that endeavor.
In partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona, El Pueblo Workforce Housing Project plans to restore the motel’s exterior, convert existing buildings into housing units using Habitat’s Starter Home model, construct additional starter homes at the rear of the property and rebuild the former office as a community gathering space and museum.
Preliminary plans envision 18 to 20 workforce housing units, creating opportunities for local workers and families to live in Flagstaff, which has suffered from persistent affordable housing shortages.
The fundraising goal of $3 million would cover the purchase of the land and provide resources needed for planning and development. Donations can be made here.
“The El Pueblo project represents a unique opportunity to provide workforce housing and historic preservation at the same time,” Habitat for Humanity stated. “The project recognizes the importance of our history and seeks to celebrate it, rather than erasing it and starting fresh. We can’t afford to lose another piece of Flagstaff history, and our hardworking families need a place to live.”
El Pueblo, at 3120 E. Route 66, has sat idle for several years after efforts to renovate it into a boutique hotel or a Navajo Code Talkers museum stalled.
El Pueblo was where the motel’s founder, Philip Johnston, recruited the first 29 Navajo Code Talkers during World War II. Code words in the Navajo soldiers’ native language, which the Japanese were unable to crack, proved invaluable in U.S. war efforts.
The motel itself dates to 1937.