History
The Durlin Hotel stands at the center of Oatman, a former gold-mining camp perched in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, northwestern Arizona, on what is now Historic Route 66. The hotel was built in 1902 to serve miners and travelers drawn to the Tom Reed and other gold operations that boomed in the district in the first decade of the twentieth century. It is the oldest two-story adobe building in the county and one of the very few early commercial structures on Route 66 in Arizona to retain its original massing.
Construction is sun-dried adobe block over a stone foundation, with exterior walls finished in stucco, simple punched window openings, and a flat parapeted roofline typical of small Western mining-town hotels of the period. The interior preserves the narrow corridor-and-room plan of a working miners' boardinghouse rather than the more elaborate parlor and dining-room arrangement of a destination hotel. Spanish Colonial Revival surface treatment was applied as the property was renovated in later decades, while the underlying adobe shell and footprint remain as built.
The Durlin gained popular notoriety after newlyweds Clark Gable and Carole Lombard reportedly spent a night at the hotel in March 1939 following their marriage in Kingman, an episode that has anchored the building's tourist identity for the better part of a century. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 under reference number 83002988 in recognition of its architectural and commercial-historical significance to the Oatman mining district.
The property continues to operate as a working hotel and Route 66 tourist destination, locally known under successive names including the Oatman Hotel. Within Arizona's adobe tradition the Durlin represents the rough commercial adobe construction of the territorial mining frontier — a working building, sun-dried and stuccoed, that has outlasted the boom that built it.
Common questions
What is the Durlin Hotel?
The Durlin Hotel, also known as the Oatman Hotel, is a historic adobe hotel building in Oatman, Arizona, listed on the National Register of Historic Places under reference number 83002988. It is associated locally with a noted Clark Gable and Carole Lombard suite.
When was the Durlin Hotel built?
The Durlin Hotel exact date of construction is unknown from the available records, though archival photographs of the property are labeled with the year 1902, pointing to an early twentieth-century origin.
Where is the Durlin Hotel located?
The Durlin Hotel is located on Main Street in Oatman, Arizona, along the historic Route 66 corridor.
Is the Durlin Hotel open to the public?
Yes. The historic Durlin Hotel, also known as the Oatman Hotel, operates as a small-town hospitality landmark on Main Street in Oatman, Arizona, along the historic Route 66 corridor. It is locally celebrated for its association with a Clark Gable and Carole Lombard suite.
What architectural style is the Durlin Hotel?
The Durlin Hotel is built in the Spanish Colonial style, reflecting the regional architectural traditions of early twentieth-century Arizona.
Why is the Durlin Hotel historically significant?
The Durlin Hotel is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places under reference number 83002988. The property is locally celebrated for its association with a Clark Gable and Carole Lombard suite, documented in archival photography of the building.