More Local

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
• Former Marine to serve two years in jail for killing Albuquerque robber
• Wilson-Pearce battle for U.S. Senate exemplifies party's disparity

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Albuquerque Old Town
• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

El Vado Motel's fate is still up in the air, but two thing are sure: A final decision could be months away, and the meetings leading up to that decision are likely to be contentious.

A hearing on the Route 66 motel Wednesday lasted an unusually long three and a half hours before the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission called it quits and put off the remaining witnesses and closing arguments until Jan. 10.

El Vado owner Richard Gonzales wants to tear down the motel - which the City Council declared an official landmark in February - and redevelop the property.

The reason for the marathon meeting? Attorney John Kelly, who represents Gonzales, said he had an obligation to put a thorough argument on the record so the points could be rehashed on appeal to the City Council and the courts, if needed.

Assistant City Attorney Beatrice Brickhouse asked for equal time to present the other side.

The arguments centered around the financial viability of the motel as it stands. Gonzales, Kelly and a hired appraiser argued that the numbers just don't work. They say the cost to make the building habitable (their estimates range from $1 million to $2.4 million) would far exceed its worth.

"Either he can restore the El Vado and go broke doing it, or he can apply for a demolition permit," Kelly said.

The city isn't buying that argument, however. Brickhouse admitted the project is "economically challenged," but said the motel still could be a financial success.

"It's going to take some creativity and some inventiveness," she said.

Preservation advocates say the 69-year-old motel, at 2500 Central Ave. S.W., is a unique relic of the heyday of Route 66, when neon-lit motorcourts sprang up along the highway from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Before the hearing, Mayor Martin Chavez called the motel a "very important part of our heritage." He said that while he had supported the demolition of other old motels, "I've always recognized that some of them must be preserved."