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The lobby of the El Rancho Hotel, along Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico. It was dark when we arrived in Gallup to get gas, and we decided to get dinner there. We ended up eating in the restaurant at the El Rancho Hotel, an old historic hotel along Route 66. The hotel was built in 1936 by the brother of film director D.W. Griffith, with a rustic feel of an old hunting lodge. The hotel catered to the Hollywood stars staying there while making films, and the walls of the lobby are lined with pictures of John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Humprey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Errol Flynn and Kirk Douglas.
© Jeffery Jones
Nigh photos in Gallup New Mexico after a snowy day that left businesses and schools closed for the day.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Rancho_Hotel_%26_Motel
"El Rancho Hotel, Gallup, New Mexico, is a historic hotel built by R.E. “Griff” Griffith,[2] the brother of film director D.W. Griffith. The pair encouraged early film production in the surrounding area.[2] It is located on old U.S. Route 66 and became the temporary home for many Hollywood movie stars.The rambling, three-story hotel building has a large portico with a central balcony reminiscent of the Southern Plantation style. The National Park Service describes it as having a “rusticated fantasy appearance.” Materials include brick, random ashlar stone, and roughewn wood with a wood shake roof and brick and stone chimneys. The lobby features a spectacular walk-in fireplace made of brick and random ashlar stone surrounded by twin stairways made of split logs that lead to the second floor guest rooms.[2] The slogan “Charm of Yesterday, Convenience of Tomorrow” is rendered in neon above the main entrance.[3]
It is on the Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated New Mexico Scenic Byways.[4]
History
It opened in 1937 as a base for movie productions. Employees were trained by the Fred Harvey Company.[5]
With the opening of Interstate 40, the property fell into decline. Armand Ortega bought the hotel at a bankruptcy auction[6] and restored the property.