The Abandoned Anasazi Inn in Gray Mountain, Arizona

Sitting along U.S. Highway 89 in Gray Mountain, Arizona, about 40 miles north of Flagstaff, the abandoned Anasazi Inn is one of the more unusual roadside properties in northern Arizona.

The motel was once a stop for travelers heading toward the Grand Canyon and other destinations in northern Arizona. Today, the rooms are empty, the gas station is long gone, and the property has been left to deteriorate.

But there is something that makes the Anasazi Inn different from most abandoned motels.

Its buildings have become giant canvases.

Colorful murals and large-scale artwork now cover portions of the old motel, gas station and storage tanks, turning the abandoned property into an unexpected outdoor art gallery along Highway 89.

The Whiting Brothers Connection

The Anasazi Inn was originally operated as a Whiting Brothers motel, part of a network of roadside motels and gas stations that once stretched across the Southwest.

Whiting Brothers became particularly well known along historic Route 66, but the Gray Mountain property wasn't on Route 66. It was located along U.S. Highway 89, a major northern Arizona route connecting the Flagstaff area with the Grand Canyon, Cameron, Page and other destinations farther north.

The motel reportedly had 112 rooms, along with a restaurant, swimming pool and adjacent gas station. Large fuel storage tanks were also located on the property.

For travelers making their way north from Flagstaff, the motel provided a place to stop, get something to eat, buy fuel and spend the night.

For a while, that's exactly what the property was built to do.

When the Motel Closed

By the early 2000s, the Anasazi Inn was nearing the end of its life as a working motel.

The property is generally reported to have closed around 2005. After the business shut down, the buildings were boarded up and the property was left behind.

Without regular maintenance, the motel began showing the effects of years of exposure to the Arizona elements. Windows were broken, buildings deteriorated and graffiti began appearing throughout the property.

The gas station and its storage tanks were abandoned along with the motel.

Like many roadside businesses that closed and never reopened, the Anasazi Inn could have simply faded away.

Instead, something else eventually happened to the property.

The Painted Desert Project

The most recognizable feature of the Anasazi Inn today is the artwork covering its buildings.

The property became part of the Painted Desert Project, an ongoing public art project founded by Chip Thomas, a physician, photographer and activist who has worked extensively with communities across the Navajo Nation.

The project brings artists to the Navajo Nation to create murals and other large-scale works on buildings and structures throughout the region.

The Anasazi Inn is one of the more striking examples.

Instead of covering up the old motel's deteriorating walls, the artwork uses them as part of the finished pieces.

Large painted figures, faces and symbols appear across the buildings. Some of the artwork incorporates windows, doors and other architectural features of the old motel.

The result is a pretty unusual combination: an abandoned roadside motel that has also become a piece of public art.

From Motel to Outdoor Gallery

Walking through photographs of the property, the contrast between the original motel and the artwork is hard to miss.

The buildings still look like an abandoned roadside motel. You can see the old rooms, doors, windows and other remnants of the business that once operated here.

But they're now covered with artwork that has little connection to the motel's original purpose.

The former gas station and storage tanks have also received artwork, extending the project beyond the motel buildings themselves.

It's an interesting second life for a property that had otherwise been sitting unused for years.

The Anasazi Inn was originally designed to catch the attention of motorists passing along the highway and give them a reason to stop.

Today, people notice it for an entirely different reason.

A Different Kind of Arizona Roadside History

The Anasazi Inn is sometimes incorrectly described as a Route 66 location because of its connection to Whiting Brothers.

That's an easy mistake to make. Whiting Brothers operated numerous businesses along Route 66, and its name is closely tied to the history of the famous highway.

The Gray Mountain motel, however, was located on U.S. Highway 89, not Route 66.

Highway 89 has its own important place in Arizona's roadside history. It carries traffic between Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon region and communities farther north, and the Anasazi Inn was once one of the businesses serving those travelers.

Today, the motel is no longer serving customers, but its location along the highway has helped preserve a small piece of that history.

An Abandoned Motel With a Second Life

Most abandoned motels simply become more dilapidated with time.

The Anasazi Inn has taken a different path.

The motel is still abandoned, but the buildings have been given a new purpose through the Painted Desert Project. The artwork has transformed the property without erasing what it originally was.

The old motel rooms are still there. So are the gas station, storage tanks and other remnants of the roadside business.

What's changed is how the property is used and viewed.

What began as a Whiting Brothers motel serving travelers along Highway 89 is now an unusual combination of abandoned architecture and public art.

It's a good example of how an abandoned property doesn't necessarily have to disappear completely. Sometimes the buildings remain, and someone finds a new way to make them worth noticing.

Location

Approximately 40 miles north of Flagstaff

The property is located on the Navajo Nation. Conditions and access can change, and abandoned structures may be unsafe. Photography should be limited to areas where access is permitted.

Photo Gallery of the Anasazi Inn

note: these images were taken prior to the Painted Desert Project, mural design that you see present day. I’ll update with a gallery including those images at a future date.