A report by the Albuquerque Tribune about the Landmarks Commission recommending that El Vado Motel be designated as a landmark was published this afternoon. I won't repeat it here, since most of the basic facts were reported on this site earlier today. But there's this interesting snippet: While public comment was made for and against … Continue reading See? El Vado wasn’t in that bad of shape after all
Category: Motels
Landmark status for El Vado Motel recommended
Here's the short version of this: Route 66 wins. On Wednesday, the City of Albuquerque's Landmarks & Urban Conservation Commission unanimously recommended that El Vado Motel on Route 66 be designated a city landmark. A city staffer told me today that the landmark recommendation has to receive final approval from the city council in the … Continue reading Landmark status for El Vado Motel recommended
Pain Walker arrives in Tulsa
Dennis Kinch, the man who is walking west on Route 66 for the National Pain Foundation, was in Tulsa on Friday at the Pain Evaluation & Treatment Center to tell his story and meet with others who suffer from chronic pain. Kinch is successfully coping with chronic pain from Paget's disease and ankylosing spondylitis after … Continue reading Pain Walker arrives in Tulsa
BBC correspondent looks for old motels
Joe Queenan drove from Albuquerque to Las Vegas, most of it on Route 66, seeking vintage motels. He tells about it on this 30-minute audio link from the BBC. He paid particular attention to wigwam-type motels, which no doubt include the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz. Hat tip to Ken Chambers of Surrey, England, for … Continue reading BBC correspondent looks for old motels
A look at Albuquerque’s Route 66
The St. Petersburg Times has a long article about Albuquerque's Route 66 district. Earning prominent mention are such 66 stalwarts as the Aztec Motel, 66 Diner and Nob Hill. No mention of the endangered El Vado Motel, though.
Another contradiction about El Vado Motel
The new owner of the historic El Vado Motel in Albuquerque, Richard Gonzales, said this during sworn testimony in a recent Landmarks Commission hearing: I conveyed that to Mr. Boles and I can’t understand why they’ve taken this posture that I’m going to demolish the El Vado. It’s just not what I wanted to do. … Continue reading Another contradiction about El Vado Motel
More input on El Vado needed
I'm going to print an e-mail I received from Michael Taylor, program manager for the Route 66 Preservation Program: El Vado's status is still very much up in the air. The more people that fill the rooms at the upcoming meetings, the better. I think it would be especially important to get Albuquerque residents to … Continue reading More input on El Vado needed
Contradictions about El Vado Motel
Kate Nelson, a columnist for the Albuquerque Tribune, weighed in a few days ago about the condition of El Vado Motel: Thick adobe walls and lovely old vigas can't counteract the lunch-gagging stench of the El Vado Motel - a place where the ghosts of meth addicts, prostitutes and worse seem to wander even now, … Continue reading Contradictions about El Vado Motel
Column about El Vado Motel
Kate Nelson of the Albuquerque Tribune weighs in with a column with a more pessimistic view of El Vado Motel preservation efforts. I don't agree with her, especially after talking to several people who’ve stayed at the motel and say its condition is nowhere near as grave as Nelson implies. If any of you readers … Continue reading Column about El Vado Motel
Albuquerque’s plans to replace Route 66 motel
Here’s an Albuquerque Tribune story about the bulldozing of the Gaslite Motel on Route 66. I have to admit I’ve never heard of it, and it sounds like it’s not going to be missed (a Google search found two homicides there from 1997 to 1999 alone). It sounds like the plan is a good one, … Continue reading Albuquerque’s plans to replace Route 66 motel