About this property
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 and "one of the five most important motels left" in Albuquerque. 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. It was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. 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". In 2003, the Aztec Motel received a fund from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore its neon sign. 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. The motel's neon sign was left standing and was intended to be part of future development on the site. 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.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Aztec Auto Court
This page lists Aztec Auto Court. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Aztec Auto Court listed on the National Register?
Aztec Auto Court was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 22, 1993.
What type of historic resource is Aztec Auto Court?
Aztec Auto Court is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Aztec Auto Court?
The period of significance for Aztec Auto Court is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Aztec Auto Court?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Aztec Auto Court will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Bernalillo County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Bernalillo County.
Explore BernalilloCounty ›More historic places in New Mexico
Browse all historic places in New Mexico.
View New Mexicohistoric sites ›New Mexico history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
New Mexicohistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Aztec Auto Court will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.