Firm chosen to restore De Anza motel November 22, 2006
Posted by Ron in Motels, Preservation.trackback
Big news out of Albuquerque: The city has chosen a developer to renovate the historic De Anza Motor Lodge on Route 66 (shown above in a vintage postcard), according to the New Mexico Business Weekly.
The city purchased the motel three years ago for $1 million in the hopes a developer would come in and restore it. De Anza LLC is headed by Matthew Terry who plans to downsize the motel to around 50 to 60 rooms, but preserve its historic basement murals and terrazzo tile floors. It is not known how much it will cost to restore the motel to make it an upscale destination. [...]
City Council President Martin Heinrich is hopeful the De Anza will become the city’s first upscale Route 66 motor lodge with a link to the past. There is a niche market for travelers who stay at these upscale lodges along Rt. 66.
Matthew Terry also owns the historic Aztec Motel in Albuquerque. I’ve spoken with him on the phone, and he says he’s a committed preservationist to Route 66 history.
Maybe this is a sign that we can get some movement for El Vado Motel and take it off Richard Gonzales’ hands.
That’s great news. Seems like preservation is on a lot of people’s minds, and the more momentum we build, the more people will be attracted to the history of the Route. I think there are a lot more people like Matthew Terry out there, we just haven’t heard from them yet.
I was very happy to read about this. I live a few blocks from the De Anza and having it preserved and brought back is going to make a huge improvment in the neighborhood.