Las Cruces has its own version of Route 66

Las Cruces boasts its own 100-year-old highway to rival the Route 66, famously known as "The Mother Road."  Our highway was U.S. Route 80 (US 80) which served as a major transcontinental highway from Nov. 11, 1926, until it was completely replaced and decommissioned in the state in 1991.

Designated in 1926 as a cross-country route connecting San Diego, California, to Tybee Island, Georgia; US 80 went right through the heart of Las Cruces on Picacho Avenue. The title, "Broadway of America" was coined in the late 1920s to give the fully paved transcontinental road a glamorous, bright-lights identity.

During the Great Depression, Picacho Avenue earned the nickname "Little Oklahoma" as it became a key thoroughfare for travelers and refugees bound for California. Stranded or traveling families often sold belongings along the roadside for gas money, which laid the historical groundwork for Picacho Avenue's long-standing culture of antique, second-hand, and local shops.

The road takes its name from Picacho Peak, rising northwest of the city. It follows a historic path tied to the early settlement of the Mesilla Valley, the Rio Grande, and westward migration routes.

The area near Picacho served as a vital natural crossing point on the Rio Grande known as Apache or Indian Ford. It was one of the few practical places to get wagons up the west mesa. In 1855, the historic village of Picacho was founded by settlers from Socorro, New Mexico, led by Evangelisto Chaves (also known as Juan/Jose Evangelisto Chaves). The village grew rapidly after the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage stop was established in 1858.

Waves of motorists cruised directly through Las Cruces on U.S. Route 80 along Picacho Avenue, especially after World War II. Since this was once the primary western gateway into Las Cruces, the West Picacho Avenue corridor was a lively and bustling neon strip packed with local motor lodges; giving rise to classic "Golden Age" roadside architecture.

These quirky mid-century motor courts, shops, and eateries are reminiscent of those found along Route 66. Over time, the area shifted toward industrial uses, and many of the corridor’s buildings fell into disrepair or stood vacant. Large-scale residential growth has stalled, and several infill lots remain unused, reinforcing the area’s underutilized character.

Despite these challenges, West Picacho retains strong architectural and cultural elements that reflect its past identity. Historic motels, roadside buildings, and long-standing businesses still anchor this corridor.

Some examples of classic AAA-approved Mid-Century Motor Courts and restaurants that still remain on West Picacho Avenue include:

·       The Palms Motor Hotel – Located at 2405 W. Picacho, this motel emphasized its lush oasis vibes, highlighting its courtyard pool and outdoor lounging area as luxury amenities for weary desert drivers. Today it is an apartment community, developed and operated utilizing two Federal housing programs to make rent affordable for lower income tenants, a perfect example of adaptive reuse.

·       The Big Chile Inn – Known originally as a Ramada Inn, this classic highway stop located at 2160 W. Picacho, is steeped in Hollywood lore. Clint Eastwood famously stayed here in 1967 while filming the Western classic Hang 'Em High. The hotel now operates as an Americas Best Value Inn and is recognized for hosting the world's largest chile pepper statue out front—a massive 47 feet long, 2.5-ton concrete structure built by Disney engineers.

·       Royal Host Motel and Pancake Alley Diner - Located at 2146 W Picacho, was built in 1969. This classic mid-century low-rise roadside layout still retains its vintage neon signage charm. An independently owned, functioning "mom and pop" motel, Pancake Alley established itself as a local diner featuring classic 1950s/1960s roadside diner aesthetic, red booths, and traditional American and New Mexican breakfast fare. Today, this diner remains a deeply sentimental local landmark. Its neon sign and historic architecture stand as a proud visual representation of early Las Cruces roadside culture.

·       Desert Lodge Motel - Located at 1900 W. Picacho, this vintage roadside property, built in 1960, is a surviving testament to the era when independent, family-owned "tourist courts" lined the highway. It retains its iconic post-war layout, designed for motorists to park their vehicles directly outside their bedroom doors.

·       Imperial Sky Motel - Located at 1865 W Picacho, it was originally part of the Imperial 400 Motel chain, a well-known post-war franchise defined by its distinct mid-century modern architecture and exterior stairways/walkways. Over time, it transitioned into an independent lodging facility and was renamed the Imperial Sky Motel. The motel gained minor pop-culture recognition when it was featured as a filming location in the horror/sci-fi movie Curse 2: The Bite in 1988.

·       Desert Oasis Inn – Located at 1765 W. Picacho, this classic motel captures the mid-century aesthetic that defined US 80's peak travel decades. It features the low-slung, linear quintessential U-shaped multi-unit footprint built specifically to accommodate America's growing automobile culture.

·       Neff Court – Originally located 1409 –1415 W. Picacho, was built in the 1930s catering to auto-tourists, truckers, and cross-country travelers navigating early national highways through the Mesilla Valley. Vintage postcards from the 1940s highlight its stone architecture, neon signage, and attached dining and gas facilities. It evolved into the Neff Motel and Restaurant in the 1950s, embracing the classic mid-century roadside design, featuring pink adobe-style stucco units, palm trees, a heated swimming pool, and a glowing red neon sign promoted by AAA. At some point, the motel structures were torn down, but the historic restaurant building survives as Pepe's (1405 W. Picacho) serving traditional New Mexican and Mexican comfort food.

·       Broadway Courts and Café - Located at 450 W. Picacho, was built in 1930 and named for the Broadway of America Coast to Coast Highway (aka Highway 80). The property was owned and operated by Rosa Shivers, who ran the establishment during its active mid-century years. The motor court offered roadside conveniences typical of the era, including a swimming pool and a cozy café. This location has been repurposed as a multi-unit residential apartment community, now known as the Manzano Grande Apartments. At the time of this writing, all the apartments are rented; another great success story of adaptive reuse for this historic avenue!

When I-10 was built (late 1950s and early 1960s), it bypassed Picacho Avenue, leading to concerns among motel owners about a loss of business. To address this, the "Motel Boulevard" exit was named in an attempt to direct travelers off the new interstate highway to the existing motels, and to encourage new construction on Picacho Avenue.

In March 2023, the Las Cruces City Council passed a resolution creating the West Picacho Avenue and Motel Boulevard Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan. The aim is to revitalize the neighborhoods, improve infrastructure, and repurpose some of the older properties. This author really hopes that these classic motels can be saved and given a new life with creative transformations. Some examples could include:

·       Turn the U-shaped or L-shaped motels into Adventure Lodges by converting standard roadside rooms into gear-friendly stays featuring bike racks and shared outdoor fire pits. Every November, Las Cruces hosts the Dangerbird, a bikepacking race looping around the OMDP National Monument. Since this multi-day ride is limited to 200 bikers, many are from out-of-state or other countries, and need places to stay.

·       Linear motels are ideal for micro-studios, artisan workshops, small retail storefronts, permanent or transitional housing units grouped around a central courtyard. The old asphalt courtyards and carports could be reclaimed into lush communal gardens with native landscaping.

·       Original manager’s office or lobby buildings could be turned into farm-to-table diners, bakeries, or microbrew taprooms with indoor-outdoor seating. A great example of this is the conversion of the 1959 City Ice Service Plant into the Icebox Brewing Company located at 285 W. Picacho.

The next time you travel West Picacho Avenue, slow down and look around you, it is this road’s centennial year. Stop, and shop local Las Cruces businesses. Notice the rehabilitated iconic mid-century structures and get involved in protecting the rest. Use a retro-prospective to envision new ways to protect and preserve the roadside architecture along our bit of the “Broadway of America.”