REAL ESTATE
Hotel Parq Central building hits 100-year milestone alongside Route 66
The iconic highway and hospital-turned-hotel property were both established in 1926
Published
Historic Route 66 has been welcoming travelers from across the country for a century 鈥� and so has one of its Albuquerque landmarks.
Like Route 66, the Hotel Parq Central property, located along the Mother Road at 806 Central SE, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The historic structure was built in 1926, the same year the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads launched the nation鈥檚 first federal highway system and commissioned Route 66.
The shared anniversary came as a pleasant surprise to Hotel Parq Central owner Marc Bertram, who said the alignment didn鈥檛 dawn on him until about a year or so ago.
鈥淭here鈥檚 certainly a lot of buzz around the Route 66 centennial, and we鈥檙e excited to be a part of it,鈥� Bertram said. 鈥淭his is a milestone that only comes around once.鈥�
The Hotel Parq Central property wasn鈥檛 always a hotel. It was originally a railroad hospital serving injured employees of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co.
Then, in the 1980s, a group of psychiatrists purchased the property and turned it into a facility for children suffering from mental illness. It operated as a psychiatric hospital until 2006, when the facility closed.
Bertram and a business partner, David Oberstein, purchased the property that same year. They originally acquired the property thinking it would be an investment opportunity.
When faced with the sudden tenant exit and vacancy, the pair 鈥� who have backgrounds in commercial real estate and hospitality 鈥� decided to revive the property as a boutique hotel. The choice was largely due to support from the Huning Highlands Historic District Association, one of Albuquerque鈥檚 oldest neighborhood groups.
鈥淏ecause of our experience in development in Santa Fe, we鈥檙e very sensitive to neighborhood associations,鈥� Bertram said. 鈥淲e tossed out the idea of a hotel, and the neighborhood could not have been more supportive.鈥�
Following an extensive four-year, $21-million renovation, Hotel Parq Central opened in 2010, with the property鈥檚 stone and stucco facades, windows and exterior ceramic tiles all restored to their original condition.
While the interior was largely gutted, there are some design nods to the property鈥檚 history as a hospital throughout the hotel, which stands four stories tall with 74 rooms.
Today, the property is an Albuquerque Historic Landmark, welcoming guests from all over the world, including celebrities Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow.
In addition to the main structure, the hotel also has three separate cottage suites and an award-winning rooftop bar called the Apothecary Lounge.
The bar鈥檚 name was inspired by the property鈥檚 medicinal history, which created an interesting situation when the property owners were going through the permitting process for the hotel.
鈥淲hen we went to get a liquor license, we actually had to get approval from the (New Mexico) Board of Pharmacy to make it clear that we were not an apothecary that was dispensing drugs of any kind,鈥� Bertram said.
Apothecary Lounge has become one of Albuquerque鈥檚 well-known rooftop bars because of its city views, elevated snacks and handcrafted cocktails, Bertram said. He added that the majority of the bar鈥檚 patrons are people not staying at the hotel.
Apothecary Lounge鈥檚 handcrafted cocktails are an integral part of how Hotel Parq Central is celebrating 100 years of the landmark it calls home and the highway it sits next to. For all of 2026, the bar is offering two specialty cocktails paying homage to Route 66 and the railroad.
The first, dubbed 鈥淢ile Marker 505,鈥� features sloe gin, apricot liquor and lime juice, offering a flavor similar to a cherry limeade. The second, 鈥淪unset Limited,鈥� is named after the oldest continuously operating train in the U.S. and comes with tequila, Montenegro Amaro, strawberry Aperol and lemon.
Julia Bertram, a spokesperson for Hotel Parq Central and Marc Bertram鈥檚 daughter, said nostalgia and New Mexico鈥檚 sunsets played a role in creating the drinks 鈥� color, taste and all.
For guests who book the property鈥檚 cottage suites, the hotel is also giving out centennial gifts that include a commemorative Hotel Parq Central tote bag, a custom candle made by local Albuquerque candlemaker Upside Goods and two drink tickets to the Apothecary Lounge.
The hotel is also offering discounted room rates through July and will top off its centennial festivities in September with a Roaring Twenties-themed rooftop party featuring cocktails, snacks, jazz music and decorations that nod to the era in which the building was constructed.
The hope for all the Route 66 travelers experiencing Hotel Parq Central for the first time, Marc Bertram said, is for them to 鈥渇eel and appreciate the overall history of it all.鈥� He also hopes they see the Land of Enchantment in a positive light, with the hotel being locally owned and operated by New Mexicans.
On a personal level, Marc Bertram said the festivities also offer a moment to pause and reflect on not just Route 66 and the property鈥檚 history, but also why he took the redevelopment project on in the first place.
鈥淚t's always been sort of a labor of love when we started this,鈥� Bertram said, adding the property鈥檚 historic nature also made it one of the most complex redevelopment projects he鈥檚 encountered in his career. 鈥淚t holds a special place for me, because I do think we were able to save a very historic building in the city of Albuquerque.鈥�
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.
