Signs of life for closed motel

An artist reception Wednesday for a new mural completed at the long-closed Apache Motel in Tucumcari was another sign of the Route 66 motel's eventual revival.

The Amarillo-based artist, who goes by the name Dmngo Arte, created the large, Native American-inspired image on the east side of the motel, plus another on the second floor.

The motel's owner, Joann Thompson, held a reception Wednesday to celebrate the artist's creations.

Thompson said she hired Arte after seeing one of his artworks posted on the Tucumcari Is Art page on Facebook.

"I said, 'Oh my God, I need this guy,'" she recalled. "So I messaged him right away. I told him, 'I've got this Apache Motel, your artwork would be perfect as a mural.' And he was here the next day. I couldn't believe it."

Arte said in addition to the image of an Apache Indian on the mural, he incorporated images of local mesas.

By coincidence, Arte said he holds Apache lineage.

"I was like, jackpot," Thompson said.

Arte, who grew up in Plainview, Texas, said he was a mechanic and owned a construction company before going into art full-time about two years ago.

Thompson said she's commissioned him to paint another mural on a quonset hut she owns.

"We hit it off," she said. "It's going to keep going."

Arte said he appreciates the reception he's received from residents.

"The whole town has been receptive to what I'm doing, and I believe I've made some lifelong friends already," he said.

Thompson and her former business partner, Wade Dirr, acquired the motel at 1106 E. Route 66 Blvd. in 2019, which had been closed since about 2006. It opened as the Apache Inn in 1960.

After some work on on the property, Thompson had a falling-out with Dirr, and he put it up for sale in 2021.

She took back ownership oearly this year, though she had to lay down its large neon sign for safety reasons because its base had been severely damaged.

Thompson recently restored electricity to the motel's office. She said plans to spend the winter making plans to restore electricity to the rest of the complex and repair its plumbing.

She said she didn't have definite plans for the property, other than having it be "its highest and best use."

"It may be a motel. It could be residences. It could be a combination," she said.

"I was thinking I could have RVs out here. I'm flanked by two of the best restaurants in town (Del's and Kix on 66). It's a great place for people to pull off and park."