The Fabulous 40 Motel in Adrian, Texas, reopened last week after a hiatus of more than a decade. And the new proprietors also own The Bent Door cafe along Route 66 in Adrian, which they also hope to reopen sometime next year. Roy and Ramona Kiewert reopened the Fabulous 40 Motel on Oct. 7 after buying the … Continue reading Fabulous 40 Motel in Adrian reopens
Category: Motels
Singer’s new music video is a postcard from Tucumcari
Albuquerque native and pop-country singer Alex Stern released a music video for her song "Runaways" a few days ago. The video shot by Randy Shaffer practically is a love letter to the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, New Mexico. It features the Blue Swallow Motel, the Odeon Theatre, Watson's Ranch and Farm Supply and Tucumcari … Continue reading Singer’s new music video is a postcard from Tucumcari
Museum unearths Red Chief Motel diner mural
A museum recently uncovered a nearly forgotten Native American-themed mural from the diner of the Red Chief Motel in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Officials at the Cooper Regional History Museum in nearby Upland, California, recently took the mural out of storage and put it on display. The Red Chief's owners donated the mural in 1979 when the motel was about to be … Continue reading Museum unearths Red Chief Motel diner mural
More details released on future Big Texan Steak Ranch
While groundbreaking remains weeks away, the owners of the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo revealed many plans for a bigger restaurant and other attractions just down the road. The current Big Texan seats about 500 people, but customer demand has outgrown it with no room to expand. According to the Amarillo Globe-News, the restaurant loses more than … Continue reading More details released on future Big Texan Steak Ranch
More about the Western Host Motel restoration
A few weeks ago, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced its annual cost-share grants. One of them was a property of which I was unfamiliar -- the Western Host Motel in Grants, New Mexico. The $12,500 grant went towards buying 50 new doors for the motel. I had meant to contact the new owners … Continue reading More about the Western Host Motel restoration
Book review: “Portrait of Route 66”
"Portrait of Route 66" provides many colorful or obscure images from the massive Curt Teich Postcard Archive, and it offers a look at the Mother Road from the mid-1920s to the early 1950s. But one of the most enjoyable parts of "Portrait of Route 66" (280 pages, cloth, illustrated, University of Oklahoma Press) turns out to be … Continue reading Book review: “Portrait of Route 66”
Albuquerque task force takes over Desert Sands Motel
Albuquerque's Safe City Task Force took over control of the Desert Sands Motel after the property experienced a third fire there since May. The Route 66 motel faces an Oct. 1 deadline to make a good-faith effort to repair the property or the city will demolish it, reported KRQE-TV in Albuquerque. The city acted less than a … Continue reading Albuquerque task force takes over Desert Sands Motel
Third fire strikes closed Desert Sands Motel in Albuquerque
A third fire since May broke out Saturday night at the now-closed Desert Sands Motel along Route 66 Albuquerque. According KQRE-TV, firefighters said homeless people started the blaze on a ground floor at the motel. They extinguished the blaze quickly, with no injuries. The first fire in May destroyed two-thirds of the structure, which was being … Continue reading Third fire strikes closed Desert Sands Motel in Albuquerque
City of Tucumcari, police sued over 2014 arson fires
The city of Tucumcari, New Mexico, and six of its cops recently were slapped with a lawsuit over a former fellow police officer who ended up in prison for torching a closed Route 66 motel and an abandoned house. Courthouse News Service reports the plaintiffs allege nepotism and a lack of screening while hiring now-disgraced officer Dustin Lopez, … Continue reading City of Tucumcari, police sued over 2014 arson fires
Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces grants for 2016
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, under the auspices of the National Park Service, announced its cost-share grants for 2016. This year, the program awarded eight cost-share grants totaling more than $103,000 -- mostly for renovations or preservation of historic Route 66 properties. Since 2001, the program has awarded 122 projects $1.9 million with $3.1 … Continue reading Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces grants for 2016