Former Route 66 motel will be used for AIDS patient housing

The closed Sleepy Hollow Motor Court along Route 66 in Albuquerque soon will be converted into transitional housing for those afflicted by the AIDS virus, according to KRQE-TV in Albuquerque.

The station said:

The $1.5 million project is scheduled to be wrapped up by August 2013.

Representatives from the New Mexico AIDS Services say in taking over the property, a lot of care will have to be taken for the renovation and construction of the facility. In the end, the old rooms will be turned into ten housing units. The tenants will have on-site supportive services as well as a common house where people living there can meet up.

The New Mexico Business Weekly reported that New Mexico AIDS Services bought the property about five years ago, but couldn’t go ahead with the conversion because of the Sleepy Hollow’s historic status. But the city came up with a Housing and Urban Development grant, plus help from the Mortgage Finance Authority and the MAC AIDS Fund, helped start construction.

A vintage postcard from the 66postcards.com collection shows the motel during its heyday:

The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and other historical preservationists have long supported the adaptive reuse of old Route 66 motels — especially in a city such as Albuquerque, where there is a relative overabundance of such properties.

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