Alvarado Hotel, Fred Harvey Co.

The Alvarado Hotel was one of Albuquerque's most renowned and historic hotels for nearly 70 years. The hotel was built in 1902 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and operated by the Fred Harvey company. It had 120 guest rooms, exterior landscaping and fountains, and featured the Mission Revival architecture style, all of which made it the largest Harvey hotel in business. Because of its status as a railroad hotel, it was the introduction to the Southwest for many railroad travelers, and for those traveling along Route 66 just a couple decades later. Locally, it was an important social center, and hosted a variety of events. Unfortunately, by the 1960s and 70s, the hotel had begun falling into disrepair and mismanagement. Disinterest (coupled with the growing obsolescence of the railroad network) prompted the city to demolish the building in 1970, at which point it was already listed in the New Mexico State Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. Its demolition spurred greater community support for preservation of historic properties. In 2002, the city built the Alvarado Transportation Center at the site of the former hotel, and was built according to the original.