Aztec Auto Court | |
Location | 3821 Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
---|---|
Built | 1932 |
Demolished | 2011 |
NRHP reference No. | 93001217 [1] |
NMSRCP No. | 1571 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 22, 1993 |
Designated NMSRCP | September 17, 1993 [2] |
The Aztec Motel, also known as the Aztec Auto Court or Aztec Lodge, was a historic motel located on former U.S. Route 66 in the Upper Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Until its demolition in 2011 it was the oldest continuously-operating Route 66 motel in New Mexico [3] and "one of the five most important motels left" in Albuquerque. [4]
The Aztec Motel was built in 1932 as the first of what would eventually be dozens of auto courts lining Central Avenue, which became U.S. Route 66 4 years later. During a remodeling of the building in the 1950s, the garages were walled in, bringin the number of units from 13 to 17, and a new neon sign replaced the original one. [5]
It was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties [6] and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. [1] The building was well known locally for its exterior decorations, which consisted of hundreds of found objects assembled in the 1990s by a resident of the motel. The work was described in the Albuquerque Journal as a "beloved local folk art installation". [3]
In 2003, the Aztec Motel received a fund from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore its neon sign. [5]
The Aztec Motel was razed in early June 2011. The motel's owners cited its deteriorating condition and high maintenance costs as reasons for the demolition, estimating the building would cost $1 million to renovate. [4] The motel's neon sign was left standing and was intended to be part of future development on the site. [3] However, the sign ended up being removed in March 2015. The city declared its intention to restore and reinstall it at a to-be-determined location. [7]