The Tower CourtThe property is listed in the NRHP as the Tower ''Courts''; however, contemporary sources including photos, postcards, and advertisements gave the name as Tower Court. is a historic

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

on Central Avenue (former

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

) in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. It is notable as one of only a few 1930s motels remaining in the city. with The motel was built in 1939 by Ben F. Shear and was added to the

New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural ...

and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1993. The motel is a U-shaped, flat-roofed building with 16 units surrounding a central parking area. It is one story high except for the central section, which has two units on the second floor reached by an interior staircase. The exterior walls are stuccoed and include modest

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

elements like rounded corners and horizontal decorative moldings. The front of the property originally included a stepped tower which was the motel's namesake, but it has been removed.

Notes

References

Hotels in Albuquerque, New Mexico Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties National Register of Historic Places in Albuquerque, New Mexico Hotel buildings completed in 1939 Motels in the United States U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico Streamline Moderne architecture in New Mexico {{NewMexico-NRHP-stub