Aztec Hotel
- Historic hotel
- In Monrovia, California
- On Route 66
- National Register of Historic Places
The Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, CA, is a surviving example of the Mayan Revival style, the work of architect Robert Stacy-Judd, and it was put up on Route 66 in the mid-1920s. Its facade mixes ancient Maya motifs with Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco touches. The hotel joined the National Register in 1978, and it stands out among the roadside buildings at the California end of the route.
What is Aztec Hotel?
The building is a hotel with more than 40 rooms, finished in a revival style that borrows loosely from Maya architecture and blends in Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco elements. The result is a front covered in stylized patterns and decoration that makes the building easy to recognize from the street.
It has also appeared on screen: the 2009 romantic comedy Spooner shot scenes outside the hotel and inside, in the lobby, bar, hallways and one of the guest rooms. For many decades the hotel has carried a reputation for being haunted.
History of Aztec Hotel
Robert Stacy-Judd designed the hotel, and it went up along Route 66 over 1925 and 1926; it welcomed its first guests in September 1925. The National Register listing followed in 1978.
Between 2000 and 2005, Kathie Reece-McNeill led a renovation that aimed to keep as much of the original ornament as possible. The work was part of the Park Service's Route 66 corridor program, with funding and expertise from the National Route 66 Foundation and the state's Office of Historic Preservation. Glen Duncan managed the project, and Joe Catalano served as its historic architect.
Visiting Aztec Hotel: tips
The ornamented front is the main event, so give yourself 15 to 30 minutes for photos from the public sidewalk, and check ahead if you hope to see the interior. Food is about 0.1 mile away. For a change of scene, Little Santa Anita Canyon is about 2.6 miles away and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden about 2.9 miles away.
Practical info
- Address
- 311 West Foothill Boulevard, Monrovia, CA 91016
- On site & nearby
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
Where to eat near Aztec Hotel
All diners on Route 66 →
On the map
Full mapAztec Hotel with the 6 closest stops and places to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Stops near Aztec Hotel
All of California2.6 mi from Aztec Hotel
2.9 mi from Aztec Hotel
4.7 mi from Aztec Hotel
5.0 mi from Aztec Hotel
5.9 mi from Aztec Hotel
6.0 mi from Aztec Hotel
Questions about Aztec Hotel
Is the Aztec Hotel on Route 66?
Yes. It stands on the Route 66 alignment in Monrovia, California, and dates from the mid-1920s.
Who designed the Aztec Hotel?
Architect Robert Stacy-Judd designed it in the Mayan Revival style, with Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco elements mixed in.
Own or run Aztec Hotel? Send us a photo or a correction.