The Blue Swallow Motel is the single most famous building in Tucumcari and one of the best-preserved neon-era motels on Route 66. The L-shaped 12-unit court was built in 1939 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The marquee — a backlit blue swallow above two stacked rows of bulbs — has been the town's signature image for eighty years.
The motel is still operating. Rooms are clean, simple, and decorated in 1950s style with original phones, vintage radios, and individual attached garages. Even if you are not staying, drive past at dusk: the neon comes on as the desert sky goes purple, and it is one of the better photographs anywhere on the route.