La Puerta Lodge
9710 Central Ave. SE., Albuquerque, NMThe La Puerta Lodge is one of the best examples of a largely unaltered tourist court remaining along Route 66 in New Mexico. Ralph Smith who operated the court through 1954, built the motel and residence portions in 1949 and the current office/residence in 1952. The family of the present owner, Pauline Bauer, acquired the property in 1954. One of the easternmost motels along the East Central Avenue commercial strip in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the La Puerta Lodge with its moving neon sign became a favorite stopping place for many motorists traveling Route 66. Because of this close association with the golden era of 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 garages framed by the elaborately carved wood portal, the spatial arrangement of the motel, office/residential and patio elements, and the continued use of early signage convey the historic significance of the property. Criterion Consideration G also applies to the property in that it is of exceptional importance within its property type. It reflects the continuation of the same building patterns for tourist courts, discussed in the Multiple Property listing, that appeared prior to World War II and continued through the period of significance.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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.