Downtowner Motor Inn

The Downtowner Motor Inn is a historic motel on Central Avenue (former U.S. Route 66) in Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Opened in 1965, it was originally part of the Downtowner chain, which operated economy-priced motels in city centers across the U.S. In 1972, the motel was sold and became a Quality Inn. It has also operated as a Ramada and most recently as the Hotel Blue, which closed in 2017. As of 2020 the motel is planned to be renovated by the Los Angeles-based ARRIVE Hotels & Restaurants to reopen in 2022.[2][3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 as "an exceptional example of a mid-20th-century motel on Route 66 in Albuquerque."[4]

Downtowner Motor Inn
The motel in 2013
Location717 Central Ave. NW,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Coordinates35.0852°N 106.6561°W / 35.0852; -106.6561
Built1965
ArchitectJames L. Burke
Architectural styleInternational
NRHP reference No.100005731[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 4, 2020

The motel was designed by James L. Burke of the Memphis, Tennessee-based firm of Burke & Beaty Architects. It is a six-story building of reinforced concrete construction and is an example of International Style architecture with an emphasis on simple rectangular forms. It has 145 rooms, which are accessed in typical motel fashion via open-air exterior walkways with metal railings rather than a central lobby. Elevators are located in a breezeway near the center of each floor. The ground floor has scalloped concrete portes-cochères on the south and west elevations, facing Central Avenue and 8th Street, respectively. The south elevation includes stylized Southwestern symbols cast into the exterior concrete panels, which was unusual for International Style architecture. These elements have been obscured and damaged by new exterior trim which was glued onto the panels during a 2007–08 remodeling.[4] ARRIVE Hotels reportedly plans to restore the exterior of the building closer to its original appearance.[5]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Hamway, Stephen (January 13, 2020). "Crowdfunding a hotel". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "ARRIVE Albuquerque". ARRIVE Hotels & Restaurants. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  4. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Downtowner Motor Inn" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  5. "$22M renovation of old Downtowner planned". Albuquerque Journal. August 16, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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