Aztec Auto Court
a.k.a. Aztec Lodge
3821 Central Ave. NE., Albuquerque, NMThe Aztec Auto Court, as it was first known, is one of the best examples of a relatively unaltered per-World War II tourist court remaining along Route 66 in New Mexico. Built in 1933, four year prior to the realignment of Route 66 along Central Avenue,it is the oldest tourist court along East Central Avenue as well as the oldest functioning motel along Route 66 in Mew Mexico.Postcards and other advertisements issued after 1937 emphasize its location along Route 66. Because of this close association with tourism along Route 66, the property is eligible under Criterion A. The property also qualifies under Criterion C for the way in which its setting, location, design and materials reflect early tourist court construction in New Mexico. In particular, the spatial arrangement of the complex with its parallel linear plan and its use of building materials such as double-hung windows and tile block associated with building in Albuquerque in the 1920s and early 1930s recall the early date of the tourist court.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.