Luna Lodge
9019 Central Ave. NE, Albuquerque, NMThe Luna Lodge is one of the best examples of a largely unaltered tourist court remaining along Route 66 in New Mexico. The motel was built in 1949 and at the time was one of the easternmost motels along the East Central Avenue commercial strip. 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 spatial arrangement of the complex with its long U-plan punctuated by the office/residence and cafe at either end enhances the significance of the property, recalling how the combination of food and lodging offered at campgrounds in the early decades of automobile tourism persisted in the postwar years. Criterion Consideration Galso 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, as discussed in the Multiple Property listing, that appeared prior to World War II and then 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.