Check out the front-page photo of the Albuquerque Tribune here.
The text of the photo says:
Sandra Gonzales holds her 12-day-old granddaughter, Jewel Diamond, in their room at El Vado Motel. Gonzales has lived at the motel for five months in trade for doing housekeeping. The family hopes to find housing before the end of the month, when a new owner takes over.
That gives them less than 10 days to find alternative housing.
El Vado Motel was not just a Route 66 icon. For some people, it was home. For some, it provided a job and some sense of security.
The closing of an old motel is not just a loss for travelers wanting to find a piece of history. The impending closing also affects people who don’t have a lot of money, other job opportunites, or economical housing alternatives.
It is hoped that someone else in the coming weeks will step up and take over ownership and keep running it as a motel. Or that the current owner will preserve some of the more historic rooms and eventually run it as a B&B, in addition to the proposed townhouses.
But for people like Sandra Gonzales, it will be too late.
UPDATE: The full story has been posted.