Welcome to the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM, on Route 66!

We purchased the 12-room Blue Swallow Motel in 2011 and relocated to Tucumcari from Michigan. This is our home, and it is our pleasure to welcome you into it. Like many of you, we were captivated by the history, stories, and people of Route 66. We hope you come to love the Blue Swallow as much as we have, so please don't hesitate to ask questions and talk to us. We are only too happy to share what we know of the place, or give you an update on our latest projects.

Kick back, take some time to meet your neighbors, and relax under the glow of the neon lights.

It is a pleasure to have you stay with us!

A Brief History of the Blue Swallow Motel

The story of the Blue Swallow Motel began when carpenter W.A. Huggins purchased lots on March 29th, 1939 and began construction. The Blue Swallow Court, as it was originally called, was likely opened in 1941 (the exact date isn't clear), and Mr. Huggins operated both the motor court and a cafe on the site. Ted Jones, a prominent eastern New Mexico rancher, was the first long-term owner/operator. Facing Route 66, the Blue Swallow offers access to motorists from both the highway and a side street. The motel has an L-shaped plan and consists of 12 units with a discreet office and manager’s residence. Garage units, some with wood overhead doors, are located between the sleeping units. With its pink stucco walls decorated with shell designs and a stepped parapet, the façade reflects a modest use of the Southwest Vernacular style of architecture.

When Mr. Jones and his wife died in the 1950s, Lillian Redman and her husband bought the Blue Swallow and successfully operated it, modernizing by installing a new, larger neon sign, and using the more up-to-date term, "Motel". From the start, the Redmans put their customers first. When guests didn’t have enough money for a room, the Redmans accepted personal belongings in trade or provided the room for free. Ms. Redman and the Blue Swallow became icons of Route 66 folklore. She described the special and close connection she had with the Route 66 motorists who came in each night this way. “I end up traveling the highway in my heart with whoever stops here for the night."

At the end of the 1960s, Interstate 40, a faster, limited-access highway, took the place of the old Route 66. The development of this new highway drastically changed the traffic circulation of Route 66 affecting many of the businesses along the way, including the Blue Swallow Motel. Ms. Redman said of the effect of Interstate 40, which bypassed Tucumcari, “When Route 66 was closed to the majority of traffic and the other highway came in, I felt just like I had lost an old friend. But some of us stuck it out and are still here on Route 66.”

After owning the Blue Swallow for almost 40 years, Ms. Redman sold the motel in the late 1990s. Extensive restoration work was performed by owners Dale and Hilda Bakke, modernizing electrical systems and repairing neon, installing 1939 Bell rotary-dial phones in each room, while retaining all of the historic character and charm of the Blue Swallow.

The Motel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. There is a plethora of information available about the Blue Swallow online as well as in various publications and books.

From the Route 66 News, May 12, 2011

The historic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., has been sold to a couple from Michigan who will take over full operations on July 1.

Kevin and Nancy Mueller of Brighton, Mich., came to an agreement in principle with previous owners Bill Kinder and Terri Johnson in early April, and closed the deal later that month.The Muellers will move to Tucumcari on June 20, where Kinder and Johnson will show them the ropes of the operation until the handover on July 1. The Blue Swallow Motel will continue to be open through that time.

Kinder said he and Terri will move to western Arizona, near the border town of Laughlin, Nevada. Bill and Terri bought the Blue Swallow in 2006 and greatly improved the motel’s revenue and occupancy rates. However, Bill has been battling cancer in recent years, and those health issues prompted him to put the business up for sale last year.

“We’re going to miss it,” Kinder said. “We’ve met a lot of good friends during our time here.”

Kevin Mueller was employed for 20 years at Valvoline until the Michigan economy cratered and he lost his job. Nancy, who has a background in business and music, lost her job as in the real-estate field not long after that.

Unemployment, Kevin said during a phone interview, led to a lot of soul-searching. Kevin noted his interests included history, old cars, Lionel trains, and motorcycles. They considered the possibility of owning a business. “How do I make a living with something I enjoy?” Kevin recalled thinking.

The idea of owning a Route 66 motel was planted during the couple’s first Route 66 trip in 2007. While driving through Tucumcari, they noted the Palomino Motel was for sale. They wondered about owning a business on Route 66, but dismissed it because they had one child in college and another in high school.

Jobless and now empty-nesters, the Muellers in early 2011 reconsidered buying the Palomino Motel. It had long been sold, but noticed the Blue Swallow was for sale.

“This was the coolest place I’d ever seen,” Kevin recalled. “It appealed to me both from a business standpoint and emotionally.”

Nancy said she initially thought her husband’s idea was “crazy,” But she came around after talking to friends and concluding “we have nothing to lose.”

This led to another Route 66 trip, where the Muellers eventually struck a deal with Kinder and Johnson about buying the property.

“We’re excited to get in line to preserve this place like others have,” Kevin said. “The Blue Swallow is considered the crown jewel of Route 66. It’s hard to believe we’re going to own this.”

Kevin and Nancy think their differing talents will be complementary in running the motel. He said he’s eager to try a few ideas for Blue Swallow, and thinks his “natural sociability” will serve him well.

In June, the Muellers will load up a trailer that’s newly decorated in Blue Swallow Motel colors and images, and head southwest to New Mexico.

“It’s pretty exciting to think we’re going to be our own boss,” Nancy said. “We finally have a chance to do this. I think the sky’s the limit for us.”