The derelict abandoned motel has been put behind a chain-link fence and demolition has begun
The motel was built in the 1950s — the heyday of Route 66 travel. The structure also housed a cafe and a gas station. Some reports claim that new owners will try to save part of the structure as part of a new construction.
Video: Join fine art photographer Keith Dotson in Glenrio, as he walks around the old Texas Longhorn Motel
When I visited in January 2022, it was wide open to curious visitors, albeit in a bad state of disrepair with broken windows and doors, covered in graffiti and riddled with bullet holes. In a July 2022 video published by someone else on YouTube, the property was seen surrounded by a chain-link fence and partially demolished.
Assuming that demolition has continued uninterrupted, the building is almost certainly gone by now.
I always hate to see abandoned buildings razed to the ground, but it’s understandable that the few remaining citizens of Glenrio would want the eyesore removed. I fear for the future of the remaining abandoned buildings still remaining in Glenrio.
However, this old motel and cafe may not be a total loss. New owners hope to save at least some of the building.
Business partners planning construction of a new destination on the site
An Amarillo TV news station reported that the old motel site, which they call the State Line Cafe and Cattlemen’s Motel (a name I haven’t seen used elsewhere), will be revived under new ownership.
The new investors plan to build a welcome center and coffee shop, a new motel for travelers, a food truck area, and an RV park. Route 66 News reported that the partnership hopes to save the bones of the existing structures and integrate them into new construction wherever possible. The partnership also has received a license and land on the New Mexico side of the state line for a cannabis dispensary.
Pictures of the old Texas Longhorn Motel can be seen below
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