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Gallup Commercial Historic District, New Mexico

Historic district
In Gallup, New Mexico
On Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The Gallup Commercial Historic District covers the heart of downtown Gallup, NM, where one- and two-story shops line Route 66 and West Coal Avenue. Listed on the National Register in 2016, it holds more historic commercial buildings than anywhere else in town, including old hotels, a cafe, a post office and two theaters. For Route 66 travellers it is the best place in Gallup to park the car and walk.

What is Gallup Commercial Historic District?

A district of downtown blocks rather than a single building. Its listing counts 65 contributing buildings, plus one contributing structure and one contributing object, alongside 26 newer or altered buildings that do not add to its historic character. Some of the architecture shows the Pueblo Revival influence common in the Southwest.

Seven landmarks inside the district were already listed on their own before the district was recognized: the El Morro and Chief theaters, the White Cafe, the old U.S. Post Office, and three former hotels, the Rex, the Palace Lodge and the Grand, which later became Ricca's Mercantile.

History of Gallup Commercial Historic District

The district joined the National Register in 2016. That listing brought 58 more buildings into official recognition and added some 38 acres of downtown Gallup, not counting the land under the seven landmarks listed earlier. Together they make up the core of Gallup's old business center along Route 66 and Coal Avenue, and the listing treats them as one connected townscape rather than a set of separate buildings.

Visiting Gallup Commercial Historic District: tips

Park once and explore on foot; an hour is enough for a relaxed loop, longer if you stop to shop or eat. Because the district runs along both Route 66 and Coal Avenue, it is worth walking a stretch of each to see most of it. Most buildings are best enjoyed from the public sidewalk. The Harvey Hotel sits right in the district, and the Grand Hotel and Rex Hotel are each about 0.1 miles away, so a short walk covers several listed landmarks.