Hotel Clovis

 

Bakery, Clovis, New Mexico

A gem of a storefront. 

Book review: “Secret Route 66”

Brownlee Diner, Glenrio NM/TX (Sixgun Siding)

(route66news.com) Here’s where you know Jim Ross and Shellee Graham’s new book, “Secret Route 66,” is a success: Not only did they uncover more than a dozen obscure tidbits from the Mother Road that escaped my notice, I jumped into my car to search for one that was nearby. Continued

Art Moderne in Glenrio, Texas

(NPS) ... A new cluster of businesses were built during the 1950s. Two of them, a Texaco Gas Station and a nearby diner, are of particular interest today. Both were designed with Art Moderne influence. Look for the curved vertical panels on top of the drive-thru bay of the station and for curved concrete corner walls and a curved metal canopy on the diner. Continued

The Cow in the Courthouse Window

Back during the Great Depression, the government took on the enormous task of getting people back to work, and just like in recent times, that meant improving infrastructure. They built roads, dams, parks, pools, courthouses, and the such, employing skilled tradesmen, architects, engineers, laborers, and artists.

Yes, artists. The depression hadn't left many professions unscathed, and artists gotta eat too. So, a lot of these projects got adorned with art, some very nice art, in my humble opinion.

The Quay County courthouse in Tucumcari, New Mexico is a good example, getting decorated with a couple of cows, a ranch scene, and a railroad scene. The art often reflected the local economy or history.

The next time you're at a large building that appears to have been built during the 30's, take a look around, the odds are, you'll find some interesting decorations.