El Vado Auto Court

What is El Vado Auto Court?

Two long, one-story buildings face each other across a landscaped courtyard that began life as a parking lot. The design is classic Pueblo Revival: stepped massing, uneven parapets, vigas and stuccoed walls braced with buttresses.

The renovation of 2016 to 2018 kept that look while adding new uses. A swimming pool, a tap room and a handful of small shops now share the property alongside the rooms, which makes it a lively place to stop even for travellers who are not staying the night.

History of El Vado Auto Court

El Vado opened in 1937 and stayed in business until 2005. It earned listings on the National Register and on New Mexico's state register of cultural properties in 1993. In 2005 a new owner bought it intending to clear the land for redevelopment. A long legal battle followed, and the Albuquerque City Council made the motel a city landmark in 2008, which gave it a measure of protection. In 2010 the property passed to the city, and that sale set the renovation in motion. It reopened in 2018.

Visiting El Vado Auto Court: tips

The motel sits along a former stretch of Route 66. The courtyard, the uneven parapets and the vigas are the best photo subjects, and the courtyard is a pleasant place to sit for a while. Tower Court and the Rio Grande Botanic Garden are each about 0.2 miles away, and the Albuquerque Museum about 0.6 miles, so the area makes an easy walking stop.