Wigwam Village #6 National Register of Historic Places Listing

Chester Lewis wanted to grab the attention of exhausted drivers hurtling down Route 66. So, in 1950, he built fifteen concrete tepees in Holbrook. They are actually tepees, not wigwams. But the name stuck anyway. Lewis bought the rights to the design from Frank Redford. Redford patented the look and traded the blueprints to Lewis for a cut of the motel's coin-operated radio revenue. A bizarre business deal, sure. Each structure rises twenty-eight feet over the desert, built with wood framing, metal mesh, and thick stucco. This was roadside advertising at its loudest. Today, the spot boasts a metal plaque & preservation product near the office, certifying its place on the National Register.

When Interstate 40 bypassed Holbrook in the late 1970s, the local economy tanked. Lewis closed the motel in 1974. He died soon after. But his children saved the property. They saw the value of real estate development & adaptive reuse before those terms existed. They scrubbed the walls, restored the original hickory furniture, and reopened in 1988. Do not expect luxury. The rooms are tight and basic. You get a bed, a bathroom, and a small television. Vintage Studebakers sit parked on the gravel outside. It is a time warp.