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Of ruins and renewal...

by JEREMY HUGGARD

photo by Ernest Haas

Albuquerque's Route 66 in the late 1960s.

The motels of Albuquerque's Central Avenue have had a rough time, but things are starting to look up.

See a photo slide show of a few of the motels –- some open for business and some not — of Albuquerque’s former Route 66, now Central Avenue. The featured motels are found in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque between Carlisle and San Mateo boulevards.

Obviously there are other kinds of businesses such as restaurants and retail stores in the area. However, the Route 66 motels were put in a uniquely difficult situation because of their dependence on out-of-town dollars.

There are ongoing plans by the city of Albuquerque to revitalize this neighborhood, which has been a hotspot for crime and poverty in recent years. The city hopes that in revitalizing the motels, the surrounding community will follow suit.

Written March 12, 2009