The city of Albuquerque earlier this month held a ceremonial relighting of El Vado Motel's neon sign to mark the beginning of a redevelopment project there that will preserve the historic Route 66 motel. Palindrome Communities and FDHC are redeveloping El Vado Motel and the adjacent Casa Grande site for $18 million, including about $3.5 … Continue reading Albuquerque relights El Vado Motel sign to mark redevelopment project
Category: Motels
Art’s Motel in Farmersville reopens
Art's Motel of Farmersville, Illinois, best-known for distinctive sign that was restored by volunteers a decade ago, recently reopened after a six-year hiatus. The Prairie Land Buzz, a publication from a four-county area in Illinois near St. Louis, reported in its February issue the old Route 66 motel had been purchased by Kris Jain and reopened. "A … Continue reading Art’s Motel in Farmersville reopens
Tips for Route 66 tourism success
The Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat published a comprehensive report about two experts giving a presentation in Gillespie, Illinois, about how to parlay Route 66 into tourism dollars. The experts were Bill Kelly, executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, and Bill Thomas, economic development director for Logan County, tourism booster for Atlanta, Illinois, and chairman … Continue reading Tips for Route 66 tourism success
Sun ‘n Sand Motel may reopen later this year
The closed Sun 'n Sand Motel in Santa Rosa, New Mexico -- best known for its huge, orange neon sign -- has a new owner who hopes to reopen the Route 66 establishment sometime in 2017. The Feb. 2 print edition of The Communicator newspaper, based in Santa Rosa, reports the new owner is Dipak Shah of Kadam … Continue reading Sun ‘n Sand Motel may reopen later this year
Wayward driver damages Enchanted Trails RV Park
An alleged drunken driver drove off Interstate 40, careened through the Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post in west Albuquerque and ended up in the complex's swimming pool Wednesday morning. KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported: "In another month I will have been here for 30 years and this is definitely one for our record books," … Continue reading Wayward driver damages Enchanted Trails RV Park
Route 66 motel photos from 1970s shown by California gallery
Plenty of photographers have documented old motels along Route 66 in the past 20 years. However, a new exhibit, "Route 66 Motels" at the Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla, California, shows images more than 40 years old. The images predate even Quinta Scott's valuable "Along Route 66" images from the late 1970s through the 1980s. … Continue reading Route 66 motel photos from 1970s shown by California gallery
Desert Sands Motel in Albuquerque torn down
The closed Desert Sands Motel of Albuquerque, perhaps best known for being used in a scene in the Oscar-winning movie "No County for Old Men," was torn down last month after three fires since May. The Albuquerque Journal reported the Route 66 motel was razed in early December. Construction equipment reappeared on the site last week, … Continue reading Desert Sands Motel in Albuquerque torn down
Visits with Lillian Redman at the Blue Swallow Motel
Anthony Reichardt recently uploaded several more videos from Route 66 trips he took in the early to mid-1990s in a 1959 Cadillac. The highlight video of this bunch is several visits with Lillian Redman, longtime owner of the iconic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. It's the most extensive video I've seen of her. https://youtu.be/TS9fp-Tndq0 Reichardt's … Continue reading Visits with Lillian Redman at the Blue Swallow Motel
Heritage House bed-and-breakfast soon will open in Amarillo
A new lodging option soon will open in Amarillo in a historic house about a mile south of Route 66. It's the Heritage House bed-and-breakfast at 1620 S. Polk St. (map here), which sits south of the Sixth Street alignment of Route 66. The home was built in 1906 by E.L. Dohoney and bought in … Continue reading Heritage House bed-and-breakfast soon will open in Amarillo
Hotel Castaneda renovation funding hits a snag
A state office's rejections of tax-credit loan applications may slow Allan Affeldt's bid to renovate the historic but long-closed Hotel Castaneda in Las Vegas, New Mexico. According to a story in the Albuquerque Journal, the New Mexico Finance Authority nixed several applications for a loan that's meant to aid real-estate development in troubled areas. “It’s … Continue reading Hotel Castaneda renovation funding hits a snag