A food and farmers market is one of the proposals being considered for reusing the long-closed El Vado Motel along old Route 66 in Albuquerque, reported KOAT-TV in Albuquerque.
The City of Albuquerque seized the historic motel from a local developer who wanted to raze it and build luxury townhouses. Now, after sitting for several years nominally protected by a chain-link fence, the city is ready to hear proposals from both developers and residents.
City councilwoman Roxanna Myers had her own idea for the motel:
She wants the rundown motel to be transformed into a city market to showcase New Mexico’s food. It’s a move she said will help the community and the local economy.
“I think it would be a great tourist attraction and be a great bookend to the BioPark right here,” said Meyers.
She said the city council would have to vote on a Metropolitan Redevelopment Plan for the property. If that’s approved, then investors could step up to buy the El Vado and renovate it. Meyers said it would likely cost around $2 million to do that work.
Here are two screen captures from the KOAT report of artist’s renderings of what an El Vado open-air market might look like:
The city isn’t beholden to one type of proposal for the motel. If a developer thinks he or she can renovate the building and reopen it as a luxury-type hotel, the city will duly consider it. However, with a glut of old motels along the Central Avenue (aka Route 66) corridor, such a proposal seems unlikely.
And the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has long supported adaptive reuse of historic properties. If a food market serves to keep El Vado around, I’m certain the program’s directors will support such a plan.
Irish immigrant Daniel Murphy opened El Vado Auto Court Motel on Route 66 in 1937. It’s cited as one of the best examples of pre-World War II motels in New Mexico. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
(Image of El Vado Motel in 2011 by Pete Zarria, via Flickr)
It’s such an interesting property….I’m glad to see continued thought/effort going into it’s preservation.
I have to admit to not having too much experience with farmers markets. But up here in Michigan, they are usually a dedicated open space, either a semi-enclosed structure, like Detroit’s Eastern Market (https://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/page.php?p=1&s=18), or as simple as an open lot.
So would the plan be to punch the front out of each of the rooms, to create semi-open stalls for the vendors? Or create individual little store fronts at each room? Put a roof over the courtyard to create a larger enclosure? Or would the rooms not be used at all (which seems wasteful)? I can’t quite tell from the photos above.
It appears the garages will primarily be incorporated into the open-air part of the market, although there’s no reason the rooms couldn’t be used as offices and the like.
Thanks Ron.