In celebration of Preservation Month and recognition of El Rey Court’s role in the history of Santa Fe and Route 66, Historic Santa Fe Foundation is pleased to announce a special presentation by writer and El Rey Court guest experience manager Nicholas Hall on the history of the iconic adobe roadside motor court. The talk is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14 at 5 pm onsite at El Rey Court, 1862 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Admission is free for HSFF members and El Rey Court guests and $10 for non-members. Come for the talk and stay for a drink with fellow lovers of architecture and history at La Reina, El Rey’s mezcal bar!

ABOUT THE TALK:
Over its 88-year history more than a million travelers have walked through the adobe arches and gardens of the El Rey Court. What did they see and feel? In 1936, the El Rey was a model of modernity when it opened on Route 66. The motor court, a haven for the newly mobile American tourist, had a cutting-edge design with a carport for each of its 12 rooms. By 1955, the carports were enclosed, new rooms were added each year, and the pool opened. In 1973 it became a garden property, and in the 90s it gained the Alamo and Spanish Courtyards. In 2016 it turned into a modern, chic hotel with a mezcal bar open to locals. For every one of the myriad faces that have come through its doors, El Rey has presented just as many to each and every guest. They have come from Japan, from France and from Egypt. From Romania and Finland and Lithuania. Each saw something different in El Rey, and each left with their own opinion. The first travelers in the ‘30s would have seen a bare-bones adobe structure on a dusty plot of land surrounded by little. Today’s guests visit a clean and stylish hotel just two miles from the historic district of Santa Fe. The El Rey Court holds many stories in its walls, and if you listen closely enough, you might just hear some of them.