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Image Not Available for Alvarado Hotel Room #62 Key and Tag
Alvarado Hotel Room #62 Key and Tag
Image Not Available for Alvarado Hotel Room #62 Key and Tag

Alvarado Hotel Room #62 Key and Tag

Dateca. 1940
Mediummetal, plastic
Dimensions5 × 1 1/4 × 5/8 in. (12.7 × 3.2 × 1.6 cm)
ClassificationsTools, Implements & Weights
Credit LineAlbuquerque Museum, gift of Bill Douglas
Object numberPC2009.2.3
DescriptionThis object is a Schlage-branded metal key paired with a green, elongated oval-shaped plastic key tag manufactured by the Fitchburg company. The key tag has rounded edges and features embossed white lettering, which reads: "ALVARADO HOTEL / ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO / 87101 / 62." The design includes a hole at the top for attaching the keyring. The lettering is clean and evenly spaced, with a simple, utilitarian font characteristic of mid-20th century hotel key tags. The Alvarado Hotel, located at 110 First Street Southwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a major landmark of the Southwest and part of the Fred Harvey Company’s chain of hotels. It opened in 1902 as part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway system, serving as a gateway for rail passengers traveling through the region. Renowned for its Pueblo Revival architecture and cultural significance, it was a hub for tourists and locals alike. Room 62, associated with this key tag, likely references one of the guest rooms in the hotel during its operational years. The reverse has a circular design stating that the key tag is good in any mailbox as it will have guaranteed postage emphasizing the importance of guests returning misplaced keys, which would have been mailed back to the hotel using a prepaid service. This practice was common in the mid-20th century to ensure that hotels could maintain their supply of reusable metal keys.
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