Downtown Flagstaff Historic District: Route 66's High-Country Heart

Welcome to Downtown Flagstaff’s Historic District on Route 66

Of all the cities Route 66 passes through in Arizona, Flagstaff offers the most fully realized urban experience. Perched at 7,000 feet in the ponderosa pines of northern Arizona’s Colorado Plateau, Flagstaff’s historic downtown district is a rare treasure: a compact, walkable grid of Victorian-era stone and brick buildings that survived the twentieth century’s relentless appetite for demolition, preserved by a community that understood early what it had. Route 66 runs directly through the heart of this district — it always has — and today a walk along the old alignment reveals more than a century of American history compressed into just a few remarkable city blocks.

Where is the Flagstaff Historic Downtown District?

The Downtown Flagstaff Historic District is centered along Route 66 (which runs east-west through downtown as Santa Fe Avenue), bounded roughly by Humphreys Street to the west and Verde Street to the east, and south to Route 66 itself. The Santa Fe Railway Depot — now the city’s visitor center — sits at the heart of the district on the south side of the tracks. Heritage Square, the Orpheum Theater, the Hotel Weatherford, and dozens of 19th-century commercial buildings are all within easy walking distance of one another and the railroad depot.

The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as one of the finest intact downtown commercial districts in the American Southwest.

The History of Flagstaff and Route 66

From Railroad Town to Route 66 Hub

Flagstaff’s downtown history began in earnest on August 1, 1882, when the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad arrived and the town instantly became the most populous stop on the line between Albuquerque and the California coast. The railroad drove rapid commercial development along what would become the city’s main street, and the stone and brick buildings constructed in the late 1880s and 1890s established the architectural character that defines the district to this day.

Among the early buildings, the 1883 Brannen Building — constructed by Peter Brannen, a Canadian merchant who paid $25 for his corner lot — stands as the oldest surviving commercial structure in downtown Flagstaff. The Babbitt Brothers Building, constructed in 1888 from Moenkopi sandstone in the Italianate style, housed one of the most important mercantile and trading operations in the Southwest for nearly a century.

When U.S. Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, it followed the existing highway through Flagstaff along what had been the main commercial artery since the railroad’s arrival. This alignment ran directly through the heart of downtown, bringing automobile traffic, motels, diners, and service stations to complement the existing railroad infrastructure. Flagstaff became one of the most significant stops on Route 66 in Arizona, serving both as a destination city and a gateway to the Grand Canyon and other natural wonders of the Colorado Plateau.

The Postwar Boom and Route 66 Culture

The 1940s and 1950s brought the full flowering of Route 66 culture to Flagstaff’s downtown. Neon-lit motels and motor courts sprang up along the Route 66 alignment, many of which survive in modified form today. Diners, service stations, and tourist-oriented businesses crowded the street. Flagstaff’s position at the highest elevation of any Route 66 city in Arizona — and its correspondingly cooler summer climate — made it a particularly appealing destination for travelers escaping the desert heat further west.

The Downtowner Motel, opened in 1919 on Phoenix Avenue along the original Route 66 alignment south of the tracks, became one of the district’s beloved lodging institutions, its vintage neon sign eventually advertising $5 rooms. The Motel DuBeau Travelers Inn, built in 1929 just down the block, provided similar roadside hospitality. Both survive today as hostels, their neon signs and period architecture intact.

Preservation and Revival

Unlike many Route 66 towns that struggled after the highway’s decommissioning in 1985, Flagstaff’s downtown never fully declined — the city’s size, university presence (Northern Arizona University), and thriving tourism economy kept the district active. A major preservation and revitalization effort in the 1990s restored key buildings including the Babbitt Building and the Hotel Weatherford, and established Heritage Square as a community gathering space. Today the downtown district is one of the most vibrant historic commercial areas in all of Arizona.

What to See in the Flagstaff Historic Downtown District

The Santa Fe Railway Depot (Flagstaff Visitor Center)

The 1897 Santa Fe Railway Depot anchors the south side of the historic district and now serves as Flagstaff’s official visitor center. The building is a beautifully preserved example of late-Victorian depot architecture, and its interior features exhibits on Flagstaff’s history, the railroad era, and Route 66. In front of the depot, a sculpture commemorates the Candy Dancers — the railroad laborers who built the transcontinental tracks, coordinating their heavy work to rhythmic songs. It’s an essential first stop for understanding the forces that shaped downtown Flagstaff.

Hotel Weatherford

Built in 1900 by entrepreneur John Weatherford, the Hotel Weatherford is one of Flagstaff’s most storied buildings. Zane Grey, the Western novelist, reportedly stayed and wrote here. The hotel has been beautifully restored and today operates as a bar and entertainment venue with several distinct rooms, including the Zane Grey Ballroom. Its Victorian-era architecture and prominent downtown location make it a centerpiece of any historic district walk.

Heritage Square

Established in 1998, Heritage Square is a lively open-air plaza at the heart of the historic district, surrounded by beautifully restored late-19th-century buildings. On any given day visitors might find live music, local art displays, food vendors, or community events. The square serves as a gathering place for residents and travelers alike and reflects the community energy that has kept downtown Flagstaff vibrant where other Route 66 towns faltered.

The Orpheum Theater

Originally opened in 1917 as a much grander replacement for an earlier theater destroyed by fire, the Orpheum became one of the most significant entertainment venues in northern Arizona. It underwent a 1937 renovation that the local press praised as one of the most modern theaters in the state, and it continued hosting films, concerts, and community events for decades. After a period of closure, the theater was revived in the early 2000s and today remains an active concert and events venue. The Sound of Flight mural on the building’s eastern wall, commissioned in 2015, is a striking piece of public art that rewards careful examination.

The Babbitt Building

The 1888 Babbitt Brothers Building on Aspen Avenue and San Francisco Street was Flagstaff’s first two-story commercial structure and the flagship of one of the Southwest’s most significant mercantile and trading enterprises. The Babbitt family arrived from Cincinnati in 1886 and quickly established a cattle company and trading network that extended across northern Arizona. Today the building houses Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters, and the original painted signage on the south wall — “Babbitt Brothers Ranchers, Merchants & Indian Traders, Flagstaff Arizona” — remains visible as a direct connection to the building’s 19th-century origins.

The Route 66 Alignment and Neon Signs

Route 66 runs directly through the downtown district as Santa Fe Avenue, and the original alignment south of the tracks along Phoenix Avenue and Mike’s Pike traces the highway’s earliest path through the city. Walking this route reveals vintage neon signs, preserved motel facades, and the kind of mid-century commercial architecture that defines Route 66’s golden era. The Flagstaff Visitor Center has developed a self-guided Route 66 audio walking tour with stops at more than a dozen historically significant sites, all reachable on foot from the depot.

The Museum Club (The Zoo)

About 2.5 miles east of downtown along the Route 66 alignment sits one of the most distinctive attractions in all of Flagstaff — The Museum Club, a massive 1931 log cabin that has served as a taxidermy museum, roadhouse, recording studio, and country music honky-tonk. Known locally as “The Zoo,” the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as one of Route 66’s most atmospheric and historically significant structures. Its neon guitar sign is one of the most photographed images on Arizona’s Mother Road.

Flagstaff as a Route 66 Base Camp

One of Flagstaff’s greatest assets for Route 66 travelers is its position as a natural hub for exploring the broader region. From the historic downtown, it’s a straightforward drive east along the old Route 66 alignment to Two Guns Ghost Town, Twin Arrows Trading Post ruins, Meteor Crater, Winslow (with its famous Standin’ on the Corner Park and the magnificent La Posada Hotel), and Holbrook with the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert just beyond.

Heading west from Flagstaff takes you through the pine forests of Parks and Bellemont toward Williams — the Gateway to the Grand Canyon — and then on through Ash Fork to Seligman, one of Route 66’s most beloved preservation success stories. Flagstaff’s excellent range of lodging, dining, and services makes it the ideal base for a multi-day exploration of Arizona’s Route 66 corridor in either direction.

Tips for Exploring the Flagstaff Historic District

Start at the Santa Fe Depot Visitor Center — pick up a self-guided walking tour brochure and the Route 66 audio tour card.
The best light for photography is morning, when the sun illuminates the stone building facades from the east.
Allow at least half a day for a thorough walk of the historic district and south-of-the-tracks Route 66 alignment.
Heritage Square often has live events on weekends — check the schedule before your visit.
Continue 2.5 miles east on Route 66 to visit The Museum Club — the neon guitar sign alone is worth the short drive.
Downtown Flagstaff has excellent dining options at all price points — from craft breweries to classic diners — making it easy to extend your stay.
The Lowell Observatory, Walnut Canyon National Monument, and Wupatki National Monument are all excellent half-day side trips from downtown.

Final Thoughts on the Flagstaff Historic Downtown District

The Downtown Flagstaff Historic District is proof that Route 66 was about more than roadside kitsch — it was about connecting communities, and sometimes those communities had extraordinary depth and character all their own. Walking Flagstaff’s historic streets is a genuinely enriching experience, layering railroad history, Route 66 heritage, Victorian commercial architecture, and mountain-town vitality into a single, walkable destination. It is one of the finest stops on all of Arizona’s Route 66, and one of the places where the Mother Road’s legacy feels most genuinely alive.