Route 66 Aztec Hotel in Monrovia Historic Buildings Best of California Host Pat Pattison
3 Video Views·Jan 16, 2021
Route 66 Themed Hotel Gem in Monrovia, California. The Aztec was designed by Robert Stacey-Judd in the Mayan Revival style. It remains one of the great historic examples of the themed hotels that were built along the "Mother Road" that was Route 66. We talk with Bryan Judson a lifetime native of Monrovia and learn about the renaissance of this city in the 1980s.
Bryan attributes much of the credit to Mayor Bob Bartlett who brought many businesses and revival the main drag of Monrovia, Myrtle Street.
Hi it's Pat Patterson with the Best of California Award here at the Aztec Motel. Incredible
themed motel here on what was Route 66 now Foothill Boulevard in Monrovia but as you know
Route 66 winds from Chicago to LA out to Santa Monica used to pick up all these places but this
is one of the few remaining themed motels along the old Route 66 in the Los Angeles area and it
was designed by Robert Stacey Judd built in 1925 and I know it's been a struggle to maintain it
but thank God it's still here. Thank God we're preserving California history. I'm going to talk
to some locals about it and let's look at some of the details. The Maya Bar and Grill is still
here it used to be the Elephant Bar but beautiful beautiful piece of architecture out here in
Monrovia. So it's Pat Patterson with the Best of California Award and I'm here with local Monrovia
resident Brian Judson and Brian how long have you lived in Monrovia? 57 years. 57 wow this guy
I think worked on the Aztec Motel so 57 years what is what do you like about Monrovia?
Well it's a great city it's improved a lot since I was a kid. Myrtle Avenue has been great and
I like it because the price of housing has gone up. There we go so you got in early and the
price of housing has gone up and it just feels like a small town even though it's attached to
Pasadena and Sierra Madre beautiful little downtown area. Was it a fun place to grow up?
Actually it wasn't Monrovia wasn't that great back in the 70s they had a lot of race
issues back in the high school but when we got mayor Bob Bartlett he came in
somewhere in the 80s it started to improve and business started coming to Monrovia and
it just got a lot better and so yeah I'm happy to be here now. So you've seen that in your own
lifetime and has gentrification happened here or is it still affordable for some families?
It's not affordable anymore I mean so it's good for me but it's not good for
people that want to be here. My daughter wants to live here and I don't know how she's going to do
it honestly. So did you know the history about the Aztec Motel? You've driven by this place a
thousand times I bet. Didn't know anything about it you know this is the first time.
And did you know this was Route 66? I knew that I knew that. Thank God at least he knew that it
was Route 66. Well Brian Judson lifelong member of Monrovia resident I should say.
Pat Madison with the Best of California Award talking to you soon.