Ranchotel: Amarillo's Forgotten Route 66 Landmark Tourist Court

Along Route 66, you used to be able to find all kinds of cafes, gas stations, attractions, and tourist courts. One of Amarillo's more iconic landmarks was the Ranchotel.

Many of us are familiar with the Ranchotel as it looks now. But it hasn't always been that way.

Ranchotel was built in 1940. It was the same U-shaped court that we see today, with the main office sitting in the middle of the property.

Ranchotel featured designs based on adobe traditions with squat chimneys and stucco walls, and rooms had décor that celebrated ranching.

The National Register of Historic Places lists the years of significance as being 1940 - 1945.

One could say that the best of times lasted until Route 66 was realigned. No longer sitting directly on the Mother Road, Ranchotel was eventually sold and the units were turned into apartments.

Originally, the units had been separated by garages. Those garages would be repurposed into living areas.

Ranchotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in '95. The NRHP listed the property as having a laundry, library, meeting room, women's dorm, infirmary, and quiet room along with the individual units.

At that time it was operating as a hostel for the area's homeless, and was also used to provide hospice care for HIV/AIDS patients in the 90s.

It was added to the registry because several of the original features of the buildings were retained during renovations; features you can still see today.

Other hotels/tourist courts from the same era had fallen into disrepair, making Ranchotel unique by nature of its very existence.

Now, it has boarded up windows. Weeds have taken over the landscaping. It looks as if the only tenants that are there now would be squatters. It's an unfortunate state for the once iconic Western themed tourist court on Route 66.

Ranchotel: The Forgotten Landmark of Old Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas

The Ranchotel, located at 2501 W. 6th St., is a product of Route 66's heyday.

When Americans first began long-distance automotive travel, they typically stayed in hotels or camped beside the road. In response, clever entrepreneurs began to build what were called tourist courts. The Ranchotel is one of these.

It was built in 1940 and until recently, it was considered one of the best preserved examples of Route 66's tourist facilities. It was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and was well maintained until 2020.

Even now, in spite of the building's fading beauty, there is still the nostalgic air held by many a historic landmark.

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A Look Inside the Abandoned St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo, Texas

The old St. Anthony's hospital in Amarillo, Texas has sat abandoned--but not forgotten--since the early 2000s. The 100-year-old structure still cuts an imposing and impressive figure against the Amarillo skyline. The building serves as a cornerstone memory for many Amarillo natives--the place where life begun (or came to an end).

But for decades, the old St. Anthony's hospital has remained under careful surveillance, and not many know what now lies within. In July 2021, local artist and photographer, Ian Watson, was granted full access to the abandoned hospital--his photos offer an intimate and stark look at the legendary landmark of St. Anthony's as it stands now.

Source: Ranchotel: Amarillo’s Forgotten Landmark on Route 66