By Oliver Beckwith
​MHM Board Member

​One of the more unusual structures to be found along Route 66 is found right here in Monrovia. There is nothing like the Aztec Hotel anywhere along the eight  states and more than 2400 miles of the Mother Road. Yet despite its uniqueness the place has never been a successful business venture. In order to find out why, questions need to be answered. Why was it built there in 1925, and what caused investors to have it built? Why did they choose such an unusual architectural style at that time, and why did it ultimately fail? 

By Oliver Beckwith

In concert with the grand opening celebration of our new Route 66 exhibit, "Engines of Change: How Transportation Moved Monrovia," I was inspired to take a journey into some of the many historical connections Monrovia has with the Mother Road. This month, my focus is on one of the key parts of our new exhibit involving "The Good Roads Movement," one of many reforms that came out of the Progressive Era.

​​​The Good Roads Movement and Route 66

The Good Roads Movement was one of many reforms that came out of the Progressive Era, which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. The initial goal was to improve roads for rural farmers. The Progressive Movement had many parts designed to make life better for all Americans. Among these were political, economic, and social reforms, many of which we still have today.

By Susie Ling

​Rosalie Cardiel Garcia lived on Monrovia’s Route 66 in the 1930s, "We used to live on Huntington Drive... When I drive down Huntington [today], I would remember when my brother and I would lie down on that street. There wasn't that much traffic [then]. We would be lying there, and my brother would say, 'Oh, there's the light of a car way down there...' So we would then get up to let the car pass. Then we would lie on the street again. We played hopscotch on Route 66. There was an airport next to us. When it was really foggy, they would blow a horn. Then the men would all go to the airport with their cars and turn their headlights on for the incoming plane." Rosalie married Louis Garcia, grandson of Lucinda Garcia. This Garcia family traces their legacy on this land to before the Spaniards built the San Gabriel Mission in 1771.