One of America’s oldest motor vehicle courts, Flagstaff’s Motel DuBeau has survived and hosted Grand Canyon and Route 66 travelers for 95 years.

Built by Albert Dubo, this 20-room red brick motel opened in August 1929, about two months before the stock market crash that caused economic collapse.

DuBeau and his successors managed to keep the neon lights on despite the Great Depression, Route 66 realignment, World War II travel restrictions, and competition from the hundreds of motel rooms built after the war. I did. Then, in 1968, Interstate 40 bypassed Flagstaff.

Current owners John and Lisa McCulloch are struggling with the severe travel downturn caused by the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and a new wave of high-rise hotels. Despite this, he has operated Motel Duveau for a quarter of a century and prospered.

The McCulloch family led Duveaux’s recovery from rock bottom as a backpacker hostel in the first decade of the 21st century. According to John McCulloch, in the late 1990s Dubo operated as a de facto commune.

““Dubeau always had a reputation for being a party guy,” he said. “It took a while to get that spirit out of here.”

McCulloch, known as “Johnny Mac,” wears many hats. He has been a guitarist, singer-songwriter, carpenter, radio show host, and served on the Flagstaff City Council from 1990 to 1996.

He ran unsuccessfully to unseat Paul Babbitt on the Coconino County Board of Supervisors in 1997, and finished third in a three-way race for Flagstaff mayor in 2002.

It turns out that Mr. McCulloch followed in the political footsteps of Mr. DuBeau, who ran for mayor of Flagstaff in 1932 but lost by 32 votes. He could not challenge the results, arguing that dozens of students at Arizona State Teachers College in Flagstaff were not eligible to vote because they were not local residents.

Despite this, DuBeau was a successful businessman and passed on the motel business to his son Neil and his wife Frances.

Like a stray cat, the Dubeau Motel seems to have spent nine lives hosting the hundreds of thousands of motorists, rail passengers, and vagrants who pass through Flagstaff. The motel is located just south of the railroad tracks at Phoenix Avenue and Beaver Street.

A.E. Dubeau, a well-known French Canadian, seized the opportunity in 1926 when the federal highway authority designated Route 66 as the northern route across Arizona. It was the beginning of the automobile age. DuBeau built a U-shaped motor court with a steam-heated garage from 1927 to 1929 to attract drivers traveling within the state.

Phoenix Avenue to Mike’s Pike was the original alignment of Route 66 through downtown until 1934 when a railroad bridge was built on Sitgreaves Street. When the road was rerouted, DuBeau installed an 80-foot-tall neon sign to alert travelers.

A 1931 Arizona Daily Star travelogue said kindly of DuBeau:

“Within the city limits, one block south of the (train) depot on Highway 66, there is a modern, new luxury motor hotel called DuBose Motel Inn with all the amenities. ”

At the time, accommodation options for travelers in Flagstaff were limited to the Weatherford, Commercial, Monte Vista, and Ideal hotels. The Weatherford (1900) and Monte Vista (1927) are Flagstaff’s oldest hotels. Next in line is the 1929 DuBeau, also one of Route 66’s oldest motor courts.

The Ideal Hotel (200 E. Birch Ave.) was open until at least the 1960s. In 1976, an arson fire destroyed the Commercial Hotel at 14 East Santa Fe Avenue (now Route 66).

According to a column by Pratt Klein, then editor and publisher of the Arizona Daily Sun, DuBeau’s other managers included Robert Morrison and Violet, who came from Minneapolis in 1945 to run the motel.・The Morrisons were also included. The Morrison family then operated several restaurants downtown before opening Lumberjack Cafe in the early 1960s, which operated at 218 S. Sitgreaves St. until 1974. The building then became Granny’s Closet, which closed in 2011.

Mary Mastin purchased DuBeau in 1977. She was a prominent downtown merchant who ran the Wigwam Antiques Store for half a century until her death in 1999 at age 93.

The McCullochs bought the half-acre DuBeau property from Mastin’s family in 2000 for $490,331, according to Coconino County records.

Three years ago, they became innkeepers, purchasing the Grand Canyon International Hostel at 19 S. San Francisco St. DuBeau’s acquisition gives it about 100 beds between two facilities a block apart. Due to the coronavirus, they stopped operating their Grand Canyon hostel in 2020.

As DuBeau’s new owners, the McCullochs closed for six months to repair plumbing and make other repairs. In fact, they spent the better part of a decade upgrading Dubo and transitioning it from a hostel to a boutique motel, McCulloch said.

Although the rooms and bathrooms are smaller than a modern motel, the DuBeau has charm and rates are affordable. It has windows that open and close to let in the cool summer breeze. Parking is located right next to most rooms.

The comfortable lobby features McCulloch woodwork. The rooms have kitchens, refrigerators and microwaves, and a light breakfast of coffee, tea, cereal, yogurt and breakfast bars is provided. Plus, it’s a convenient location for walking downtown and the Southside.

McCulloch said he and Lisa work well together. He does much of the maintenance while Lisa manages the day-to-day operations of the motel.

“I can say that we have been far more successful than expected. I’m proud of all of her work and I’m a jack of all trades, working hard to save money. ”

In 2016, the McCulloch family opened Nomad Global Lounge, which John built and operated in DuBeau’s main building. It closed during the pandemic but chose not to reopen due to John’s health concerns. Instead, he plans to travel, play golf and enjoy his retirement.

“I consider myself a survivor and have been playing music in bars for 25 to 30 years, but I’m not in a rehab facility somewhere. ”

DuBeau is well-positioned to be part of the 2026 Route 66 Centennial, and indeed will be a historic asset that will be the showcase for the year-long celebration.

“what we want is [tower neon] The sign was lit,” McCulloch said.

Keeping the old sign functioning proved difficult, and for many years it read “Mo DuBeau.”

“There’s always something [to repair]. It’s an old motel,” he said.

Still, guests praise Dubeau in the guestbook.

“I appreciate the kindness of this place. I couldn’t have stayed in a more quaint, romantic, family-like hotel. ”

“Anniversary every year since 2015. 9th year. Thank you Motel Duveau. ”

“Mo Dubeau is so RAD. ”

As for famous guests, McCulloch said he’s heard a legend that the cast and crew of “Stagecoach” stayed at the DuBeau while filming in Monument Valley.

Directed by John Ford, the 1939 Western starred John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and character actor Andy Devine, who was born in Flagstaff and played football and basketball at Arizona State Teachers College, Flagstaff. .

Really? Did John Wayne sleep here? FBN

Peter Corbett, FBN

Photo by Austin Corbett: John and Lisa McCulloch, owners of the Motel DuBeau, want the old tower’s neon sign to light up the night as they head toward Route 66 Centennial.