El Campo Tourist Courts
5800 Central Ave. SW, Albuquerque, NMThe Sena Apartments offer one of the best examples of a largely unaltered pre-World War II tourist court remaining along Route 66 in New Mexico. Built and then operated by businessman M.H. McGraw along what was then a distant portion of West Central Avenue, the El Carapo Tourist Courts marked the westward extension
of the commercial strip catering to tourists along the recently realigned Route 66. When it opened in 1939, Albuquerque Progress, a business monthly published by a local bank, noted that the courts were "on Highway 66" and consisted of "modern tourist apartments, filling station, store and trailer facilities." 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 and its use of the Southwest
Vernacular Style recall the evolution of the early tourist court and the emphasis often placed on regional styles.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
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.