Photo: Wikimedia Commons — see author and license on the file page.

Tower Court

Retro roadside
In Albuquerque, New Mexico
On Route 66

Tower Court in Albuquerque, NM, is a 1939 motor court on Central Avenue, the old Route 66, and among the handful of 1930s motels left in the city. Ben F. Shear built it, and it joined the state and National Registers in 1993. Its 16 units wrap around a central parking area, with rounded corners and horizontal trim in the Streamline Moderne style. The 30-foot tower that gave it its name is gone.

What is Tower Court?

Tower Court forms a U, with a flat roof and 16 units set around a central parking court. Most of it is one story. The exception is the middle section, where two units sit upstairs, reached by a staircase inside.

The stuccoed walls carry quiet Streamline Moderne touches: rounded corners and horizontal bands of molding that give the building a sleek, speedy look suited to the car age. A stepped tower about 30 feet tall once stood at the front and gave the court its name, but it has been taken down.

Visiting Tower Court: tips

View the building from the street and respect guests' privacy. The rounded corners make the best photos now that the tower is gone. The El Vado Auto Court is about 0.2 miles away, and the Albuquerque Museum and the Rio Grande Botanic Garden are each about 0.4 miles off.

Practical info

Address: 2210 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
Hours: Mon–Fri 8–6
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Tower Court

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Mac's La Sierra
Albuquerque, NM · 2.1 mi from Tower Court
A New Mexican restaurant on Albuquerque's West Central Avenue, the city's Route 66, dating from 1952.
Diner & restaurant
El Modelo
Albuquerque, NM · 2.2 mi from Tower Court
A Barelas restaurant in Albuquerque that began in 1929 as the El Modelo Tortilla Factory.
Diner & restaurant
Frontier Restaurant
Albuquerque, NM · 3.3 mi from Tower Court
A big New Mexican restaurant near UNM on Central Avenue, hung with portraits of John Wayne.