One of the most durable motor hotels from a busy post-World War II era of motel construction in metro Albuquerque is now listed on the market for $2.5 million.
Located more specifically in the North Valley Village of Los Ranchos at 6851 4th Street NW, El Camino Motor Hotel was built in 1946 and has remained a busy hospitality destination through the decades. Measuring around 9,100 square feet, the motor hotel houses 30 rooms and is defined as a Class C building.
The building sits across the street from the equally iconic El Camino Dining Room, which was built in 1950.
Built in the Pueblo Revival architectural style, the motor hotel has long been regarded as a historic treasure on a street populated with mostly one-story story retail structures from the 1970s and 80s.
Besides its distinctive architecture, which is not at all typical of most late 1940s motels, El Camino Motor Hotel is most known for the large neon sign to the front of the property, quaintly advertising the availability of “color TV.”
Sitting on a just over 1.2-acre site, the motor hotel also includes a manager’s office, with all the rooms serviced by individual swamp coolers.
The property is being listed by the Albuquerque offices of eXp Realty.
There were once nearly two dozen motor hotels originally built on the Fourth Street between Albuquerque and Los Ranchos with El Camino being the only survivor of that era. Most such establishments were individually owned.
The Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California was built in 1925 and is regarded as the first such motor hotel in the U.S.
December 30, 2024
By Garry Boulard
