Crossroads Motel, a fixture in hit TV series ‘Breaking Bad,’ hits the market for $3 million

To television lovers, Albuquerque’s Crossroads Motel is more than just a building — it’s a prominent backdrop in many scenes throughout the AMC hit series “Breaking Bad.”

The motel made its debut in the series during season one, when character Hank Schrader took Walter White Jr. to the motel, which he dubbed the “Crystal Palace,” to scare him straight with stories of the “meth heads” living there.

Now, the Crystal Palace has a new starring role: it’s up for sale.

Albuquerque-based commercial real estate brokerage Absolute Investment Realty listed the property roughly two weeks ago for $3 million, said broker Alfredo Barrenechea. He is co-listing the property with Absolute Vice President Rita Cordova.

“It’s exciting,” Barrenechea said. “We’re grateful to have such a high-profile listing.”

Situated on the corner of Central Avenue and Oak Street at 1001 Central NE, the roughly 14,560-square-foot motel comes with 31 rooms, a pool and an owner’s apartment, according to a Commercial Association of Realtors listing.

Up until mid-2025, the two-story motel has operated continuously since it was built in 1965, the listing says. The east side of the building caught fire in July, prompting the local owners to reassess after owning and operating the motel for more than 50 years, Barrenechea said.

“Our understanding is the damage was very minor, but when they were fighting the fire, they cut the power,” Barrenechea said. “So that’s when the owners started reevaluating what they wanted to do.”

The family of owners ultimately decided it was time to move on, Barrenechea said. A LinkedIn profile shows that Vicki Madden is the owner of the property. The Journal could not reach the Madden family for comment.

The property’s visibility makes it unique, residing just off Interstate 25 with roughly 153,000 cars driving by the motel every day, the listing says.

However, it’s the motel’s ties to “Breaking Bad” that have made the property a “world famous” destination that people all over the world travel to see, the listing says.

“I’ve visited other countries and when I tell them where I’m from, they mention ‘Breaking Bad,’” Barrenechea said. “I know the premise of a lot of the ‘Breaking Bad’ stuff wasn’t great, but it has brought a lot of positive attention to the city (and) a lot of notoriety.”

“Breaking Bad” ran for five seasons between 2008 and 2013, starring actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul playing complex characters Walter White and Jessie Pinkman, respectively.

The story follows White’s journey from chemistry teacher to dangerous criminal, as he partners with Pinkman, a former student, to launch a business creating and selling blue meth in order to ensure his family is taken care of following a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The Crossroads Motel made several appearances in the show and also made an appearance in AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” a spin-off, prequel television series to “Breaking Bad.”

Barrenechea said three or four people stopped by the Crossroads Motel over the span of an hour to take photos while he was visiting the property and chatting with the owners the other day.

The property has also received a similar level of interest from potential buyers since its listing, Barrenechea said.

“I think you’re my fourth call on it today,” Barrenechea said.

The broker said the motel presents opportunities for someone to either restore and preserve the motel or redevelop it into a boutique hotel.

“It could be any number of users,” Barrenechea said. “Almost anybody who understands the importance of the location.”

The notoriety surrounding the property was a driving factor for setting the sale price at $3 million, Barrenechea said. The Bernalillo County Assessor’s office valued the property at $769,440 for the 2025 tax year.

“This is a special place,” Barrenechea said.