Ed Boles with the City of Albuquerque today said the recommendation to designate El Vado Motel on Route 66 a city landmark will be introduced at the next council meeting Jan. 18 and the council will vote on it Feb. 6. You can use this handy contact form to let the councilors know you want … Continue reading Council will decide on El Vado on Feb. 6
Category: Preservation
Arms around the armory
The Daily Oklahoman has a story about a "human chain" at 11 a.m. Saturday to kick off the restoration of a historic National Guard armory in Chandler, Okla. The building will be converted into a Route 66 interpretive center, and it's hoped to be open in about a year. The building also will serve as … Continue reading Arms around the armory
Meeting of the Route 66 minds
There's going to be a heckuva lot of Route 66 brainpower sitting in one room in Albuquerque next month. The newly formed advisory council of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program will meet Feb. 9-10 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. The council was established to recommend ways to preserve important properties along Route … Continue reading Meeting of the Route 66 minds
Time to help El Vado again
The Albuquerque City Council is set to hear the recommendation from the Landmarks Commission to designate the endangered El Vado Motel on Route 66 as a city landmark. When that will be, I'm not sure. The next council meeting is Jan. 18. The agenda won't be set until Friday. That leaves little time for people … Continue reading Time to help El Vado again
Byway is the highway
The Oakville-Mehlville Journal in Missouri reported additional details about Route 66 in Missouri recently being designated a scenic byway. We reported about the initial announcement in November. The Route 66 Association of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Transportation worked for several years to acquire the designation. Scenic byway status allows communities and groups to … Continue reading Byway is the highway
Petrified Forest facilities get a face-lift
The Holbrook (Ariz.) Tribune-News is reporting developments in store for the Petrified Forest National Park, namely: -- The Painted Desert Inn will reopen after nearly 18 months of renovations. -- "Along with the inn’s reopening in 2006, the park will open a Route 66 pullout. This point overlooks the Painted Desert, the inn and the … Continue reading Petrified Forest facilities get a face-lift
“Remember the Alvarado!”
During the ongoing El Vado Motel saga, I've been struck by Albuquerque residents' willingness to fight to preserve this historic property on Route 66. That's because their energies are fueled by regret. A little background: The Alvarado was one of the fabled Fred Harvey Houses that served railroad passengers. According to the Albuquerque Convention and … Continue reading “Remember the Alvarado!”
Jumping on the bandwagon
Star Gonzales, executive director of the Grants-Cibola County Chamber of Commerce, told the Gallup (N.M.) Independent that she wants to establish a county-line-to-county-line "gateway" to draw travelers onto old Route 66. "We want to see it extend from (the Bernalillo) county line to (the McKinley) county line by establishing a gateway at the east end … Continue reading Jumping on the bandwagon
Notes from the El Vado hearing
I acquired a draft of the minutes from the City of Albuquerque Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission's Dec. 14 meeting regarding an application to recommend El Vado Motel as a city landmark. The commission approved the application by a 5-0 vote, and the measure goes to the city council in January. The minutes include verbatum … Continue reading Notes from the El Vado hearing
Route 66ers refute El Vado owner’s statements
The Albuquerque Journal published a story today about El Vado Motel's supporters. The Journal is subscription-only, but I'm going to excerpt the good parts: "Believe me, I know of no one traveling from Chicago, New York, France or Germany that will spend the night in the El Vado Motel." That's what Richard L. Gonzales, the … Continue reading Route 66ers refute El Vado owner’s statements