Americana Motel

406 E Route 66, Tucumcari, NM
Phone: 505-461-0431

East < GO > West

The Americana Motel was originally the 1935 State Motor Lodge. Mr. & Mrs. Crotty owned the motel as the State Motor Lodge and as the Desert Air Motel. Sometime after the late 1950s the Whiting Brothers Motel chain bought the motel. Later it became the Americana. I suspect that between the Whiting Brothers and the Americana there was at least one other name. It is a typical U shaped building with an office in the middle of the U. Originally there were garages between the rooms.

This sign replaced the much more subdued State Motor Lodge sign. A Cactus that stood above the word Americana was removed with the transition to a Whiting Brothers who replaced it with their iconic W/B shield. That gave way to a "AAA Approved" sign where the Route 66 sign is at the top in this photo. The neon tubing is still in place and the palette shaped signboard is ringed with incandescent bulbs of various colors. When this sign was new the tower and palette were black and "Motel" was in white letters and the Desert Air lettering was in a light pastel color of some sort (I'm a bit colorblind).

----------
Vintage Advertising Highlights

DESERT AIR MOTEL
U.S. Hwy. 66 ... 406 East Canal St.
TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO
461-**** ... Individual air conditioning ... Panel Ray Heating ... Tiled Showers & Tub Baths ... Good Restaurant Nearby ... True Western Hospitality

Note: This postcard from the Desert Motel period shows how little the sign has changed over the years.
----------

Photo(s): 2012