Really? John Wayne slept here?
Built by Albert DuBeau, the 20-room red brick motel opened in August 1929, roughly two months before the stock market crash that spawned an economic collapse.
DuBeau and his successors managed to keep the neon lights on through the Great Depression, Route 66 realignment, World War II travel restrictions and competition from hundreds of motel rooms built after the war. And then, Interstate 40 bypassed Flagstaff in 1968.
Current owners John and Lisa McCulloch have prospered, operating Motel DuBeau for a quarter century, despite severe travel downturns after the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001, COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and a new wave of multi-story hotels.
The McCullochs presided over a renaissance of the DuBeau in the first decade of the 21st century from its nadir as a hostel for backpackers. In the late ‘90s, the DuBeau was run as a virtual commune, John McCulloch said.
“DuBeau always had a kind of party reputation,” he said. “It took a while to shoo that spirit out of here.”
McCulloch, known as “Johnny Mac,” has worn many hats. He’s been a guitarist and singer-songwriter, carpenter, radio show host and Flagstaff City Councilman from 1990-96.
He ran unsuccessfully in 1997 to unseat Paul Babbitt from the Coconino County Board of Supervisors and in 2002 finished third in a three-way race for Flagstaff mayor.
It turns out McCulloch followed in the political footsteps of DuBeau, who ran for Flagstaff mayor in 1932 and lost by 32 votes. He unsuccessfully challenged the result, claiming dozens of students at Arizona State Teachers College-Flagstaff were ineligible to vote since they were not local residents.
Nevertheless, DuBeau was a successful businessman who turned the motel business over to his son, Neil, and his wife, Frances.
It seems the DuBeau Motel, like an alley cat, has had nine lives in hosting hundreds of thousands of motorists, rail passengers and wanderers passing through Flagstaff. The motel is just south of the tracks at Phoenix Avenue and Beaver Street.
A.E. DuBeau, as he was known, was a French Canadian who saw opportunity in 1926 after federal highway officials designated Route 66 as the northern route across Arizona. It was the dawn of the motoring age. DuBeau built his U-shaped motor court between 1927 and 1929, with steam-heated garages to lure motorists traveling across the state.
Phoenix Avenue to Mikes Pike was the original alignment of Route 66 through downtown until 1934 when a railroad bridge spanned Sitgreaves Street. When the road was rerouted, DuBeau put up an 80-foot neon sign as a beacon to travelers.
An Arizona Daily Star travelogue in 1931 spoke kindly of the DuBeau:
“Inside the city limits and one block south of the (train) depot on Highway 66 is a modern new automobile hotel de Luxe called DuBeau’s Motel Inn, with everything furnished.”
At the time, Flagstaff travelers had limited lodging choices at 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, which is also one of the oldest Route 66 motor courts.
The Ideal Hotel, 200 E. Birch Ave., operated at least until the 1960s. In 1976, an arson fire destroyed the Commercial Hotel, 14 E. Santa Fe Ave. (now Route 66).
Other DuBeau operators included Robert and Violet Morison, who came from Minneapolis in 1945 to run the motel, according to a column by Platt Cline, former Arizona Daily Sun editor and publisher. The Morisons then ran several downtown restaurants before opening the Lumberjack Cafe in the early 1960s and operating it until 1974 at 218 S. Sitgreaves St. That building then became Granny’s Closet, which closed in 2011.
Mary Mastin bought the DuBeau in 1977. She was a leading downtown merchant who ran the Wigwam curio shop for a half century before 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 Coconino County records.
Three years earlier, they became innkeepers, acquiring the Grand Canyon International Hostel, 19 S. San Francisco St. The DuBeau acquisition gave them about 100 beds between the two properties, which are a block apart. They quit operating the Grand Canyon hostel in 2020 in the wake of COVID.
As the new DuBeau owners, the McCullochs closed for six months to fix the plumbing and make other repairs. In fact, they spent a good part of a decade upgrading the DuBeau, transitioning it from a hostel to a boutique motel, McCulloch said.
The rooms and bathrooms are smaller than modern motels, but the DuBeau has its charms and more moderate room rates. It features windows that swing open to let in cool summer breezes. Parking is right next to most rooms.
A comfortable lobby features McCulloch’s woodworking gems. The room hosts a light breakfast spread of coffee, tea, cereal, yogurt and breakfast bars, along with a kitchen, refrigerator and microwave. Plus, the location is convenient for walking downtown and on the Southside.
McCulloch said he and Lisa work together well. He does much of the maintenance while Lisa manages the day-to-day motel operation.
“I would say we are succeeding well beyond our expectations. I’m proud of all the work she does and I’m the jack-of-all-trades, saving money with sweat equity.”
In 2016, the McCullochs opened the Nomad Global Lounge, which John built and operated in the DuBeau’s main building. It closed during the pandemic and they chose not to reopen it because of John’s health concerns. Instead, he plans to travel, play golf and enjoy retirement.
“I consider myself a survivor, having spent 25 to 30 years in bars playing music and I’m not in rehab somewhere.”
The DuBeau is well positioned to be part of the Route 66 Centennial in 2026 and, in fact, it will be a showcase historic property for the yearlong celebration.
“We want the [tower neon] sign lit,” McCulloch said.
It has proven tricky keeping the old sign working and, for years, it read “Mo DuBeau.”
“There’s always something [to repair]. It’s an old motel,” he said.
Still, guests heap praise on the DuBeau in its guest book:
“We appreciate the kindness this place has. Couldn’t have stayed in a more quaint, romantic, family feeling hotel.”
“Every anniversary since 2015. Nine years. Thank you Motel DuBeau.”
“Mo Dubeau is so RAD.”
As for famous guests, McCulloch said he’d heard a legend that the cast and crew of “Stagecoach” stayed at the DuBeau during filming in Monument Valley.
The 1939 Western, directed by John Ford, 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? John Wayne slept here? FBN
By Peter Corbett, FBN
Photo by Austin Corbett: Motel DuBeau owners John and Lisa McCulloch are hoping to have the neon sign on the old tower lighting up the night for the Route 66 Centennial.
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