The Aztec Hotel is a historical landmark building in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

, in the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The hotel is an example of

Mayan Revival architecture Mayan Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. History Origins Though the name of the s ...

still in existence. It was designed by architect Robert Stacy-Judd, and built on

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

in 1925–26. The hotel opened to the public in September 1925, and contained over 40 rooms. The hotel has a revivalist style that mixes an abstraction from

Maya architecture The Mayan architecture of the Maya civilization spans across several thousands of years, several eras of political change, and architectural innovation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Often, the buildings most dramatic and easily ...

sources along with

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

and

Spanish Colonial Revival architecture The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. Thes ...

. The Aztec Hotel was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1978. The hotel's owners began restoration to preserve as much of the original ornamentation as possible in 2000 under the National Park Service's Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. Kathie Reece-McNeill undertook a renovation of the Aztec Hotel between 2000–2005. She utilized funds and expertise provided by the State of California Office of Historic Preservation and the National Route 66 Foundation. Project Manager Glen Duncan and Historic Architect Joe Catalano worked on the renovation. The hotel was featured in the 2009 romantic comedy ''Spooner''. Scenes were filmed in front of the hotel as well as many interior scenes showing the lobby, bar, hallways and inside one of the rooms. The Aztec Hotel has been reputed to be haunted for decades. San Gabriel Valley in Time notes "The Aztec Hotel has gained notoriety for being one of the most haunted places in the

. These reported stories have helped increase the lure of the Hotel and its history." The hotel was closed for renovations in 2012. As of 2021, the Aztec Hotel remains closed with the opening date still unknown.

References

Notes Further reading * Gebhard, David and Peres, Anthony. ''Robert Stacy-Judd: Maya Architecture and the Creation of a New Style.'' Capra Press. 1993. * Ingle, Marjorie I. ''The Mayan Revival Style: Art Deco Mayan Fantasy.''

University of New Mexico Press The University of New Mexico Press (UNMP) is a university press at the University of New Mexico. It was founded in 1929 and published pamphlets for the university in its early years before expanding into quarterlies and books. Its administrativ ...

. 1989.

External links

California Historic Route 66 Association: Monrovia: Aztec Hotel

Flickr: Aztec Hotel Photos album
{{National Register of Historic Places 1924 establishments in California Art Deco hotels Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California Buildings and structures on U.S. Route 66 History of Los Angeles County, California Hotel buildings completed in 1924 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California Hotels established in 1924 Hotels in Los Angeles County, California Mayan Revival architecture Monrovia, California San Gabriel Valley U.S. Route 66 in California