El Campo Tourist Courts
- Retro roadside
- In Albuquerque, New Mexico
- On Route 66
El Campo Tourist Courts in Albuquerque, NM, is a 1939 motor court on Central Avenue, the old Route 66, and one of the most intact pre-war motels left in the city. It stood near the western edge of town, about 3 miles from the center. Its two one-story buildings step down a sloping lot. The motel has since become apartments, and it holds state and National Register listings.
What is El Campo Tourist Courts?
The motel has 11 rooms split between two single-story buildings: a rectangle and an L. The ground slopes, so both buildings step down toward the back of the lot. At the front of the rectangular building, the office and a small store space are turned at a 45-degree angle so they face the entrance.
The style is southwestern vernacular, mixing touches of Spanish Colonial Revival and Pueblo Revival. In the 1990s a two-story addition went up across the front of the L. Together, the angled office and the stepped buildings make El Campo easy to tell apart from other motor courts along Central Avenue.
History of El Campo Tourist Courts
M. H. McGraw built El Campo in 1939. It sat about 3 miles west of the city center, among the westernmost motels in Albuquerque, which made it one of the last places to stop for travellers heading west on Route 66. In later years it was turned into apartments. In 1993 New Mexico put it on the state's register of cultural properties; National Register status came in 1994.
Visiting El Campo Tourist Courts: tips
People live here now, so view it from the sidewalk and respect residents' privacy. Walk a short way along the sidewalk to see how the two buildings step down the slope toward the back, and look for the angled office at the entrance. A few minutes is enough. The Hilltop Lodge site is about 0.3 miles away, the Rio Grande Botanic Garden about 1.4 miles and the El Vado Auto Court about 1.6 miles.
Practical info
- Address
- 5800 Central Ave SW Ste 1, Albuquerque, NM 87105
- Phone
- +1 505-589-3299
- Website
- elcampoapts.com
- Hours
- Thu, Fri 10–5
- On site & nearby
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
Where to eat near El Campo Tourist Courts
All diners on Route 66 →
On the map
Full mapEl Campo Tourist Courts with the 6 closest stops and places to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.
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Stops near El Campo Tourist Courts
All of New Mexico
0.3 mi from El Campo Tourist Courts
1.4 mi from El Campo Tourist Courts
1.6 mi from El Campo Tourist Courts
1.8 mi from El Campo Tourist Courts
1.8 mi from El Campo Tourist Courts
2.2 mi from El Campo Tourist Courts
Questions about El Campo Tourist Courts
Can you stay at El Campo Tourist Courts?
No. The motel was converted into apartments, so it is best seen from the street.
When was El Campo built?
M. H. McGraw built it in 1939, and it was listed on the National Register in 1994.
Own or run El Campo Tourist Courts? Send us a photo or a correction.