The motel continued to operate for several decades, even as Route 66 was relocated to I-40 and the area declined. Finally, in 1977, it closed its doors for the final time. The old lodging facility, along with numerous other buildings on this old stretch of the pavement, sat abandoned and deteriorating in the Texas sun. In May, 2006, the crumbling buildings were condemned and ordered to be demolished. However, a last minute buyer and members of the Texas Historical Commission saved the building from certain death. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.