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Motels
The emergence of the motel corresponds with the increased usage and reliability of the automobile. As autos proliferated, travel for vacationing became a possibility for families. Another innovation was the creation of neon signs. The first was at an L.A. dealership in 1923. The sign became an integral part of the motel, necessary to grab travelers attention and pull them off the road. From the early 1950s until the mid-1960s signs of epic proportions, with over the top wild futuristic designs and colors pulled travelers off the road. Themes were often regional such as beachy, western or historical.
While the signs were the most futuristic part of the motels, the architecture, especially of the office area was also often very interesting. Early motels were often just a group of cabins, an apartment or even just a camp. In the 1930s, the streamline design came in vogue and the rooms were connected in a modernistic way. By the 1940s, motels outnumbered hotels as they were often cheaper, had more parking and easier to access. Motels had features not found in earlier accomodations such as telephones, showers, heating and air conditioning. Later came pools and TVs. The design changed as pitched roofs gave way to flat ones. Recreational travel took off after the war. The number of motels increased from 30,000 in 1948 to 60,000 in 1956. Prosperity was in and people were looking for to the future. Futuristic architecture, signs and furniture were an easy sell. Larger motels were adding restaurants which also needed signs. Gideons bibles in every room gave comfort when far from home.
It began to be apparent that mom and pop motels were often not keeping as clean as the chains. Many started getting a bad reputation. The proliferation of new chains such as Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, Ramada and TraveLodge took business. They had more features and travelers knew what to expect from them. Finally, the construction of the interstates in the 1950s and 1960s killed thousands of motels along former main roads.
Classic Holiday Inn sign. Thi sone on Highway 66 and Route 52 in Joliet, IL.
The Cactus Motel at 1600 34th St. N in St. Petersburg, FL. The name was very out of place. Still open and retains much of this look.
The Bel Air Inn, Restaurant, Lounge and Jade Center. Off I-80 on West US 30. Yes they sold Jade jewelry! Closed.
The ultimate road sign is also one of the first. In 1948, Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson commissioned Eddie Bluestein to design a sign of a scale and with graphics not seen before. This Las Vegas style sign became the classic Holiday Inn sign. It ushered in a twenty year era of massive futuristic, and often quirky signs that dominated the roads they were on.
Other motels were forced to ditch their old wooden signs to keep up with their own great signs. These huge signs had neon, porcelain faces, and often flashing bulbs. They were usually many different signs combined together in a futuristic display. The large, bright, futuristic roadside sign was intoxicating to families after hours on the road. It mesmerized kids. By the 1970s, many of the areas with the motels were starting to decay, and neon began to be associated with seedy. The supply of neon makers dwindled and the signs were often taken down when the neon no longer worked. Most of the great roadside signs are no longer. A few can be found in the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati and the Neon Museum in Las Vegas. These pictures do not do the signs justice.
The New Blue Bird with Cafe and Texaco Station. Located at Highways 6 & 138 in Sterling, CO. Also had auto & truck repair. There is still a Blue Bird motel but the rest including this building is gone.
The Big Star Motel at 2325 South G St., Fresno, CA. 32 units. Plain architecture dressed up by an interesting sign. Still open, sign still there.
Travel Lodge was a national chain. This one was at 1400 N. Carson St. in Carson City, NV. Closed.
The Swiss Chalet Motel on U.S. 15 one block north of Downtown Bath, NY. Note the small but beautifully quirky sign.
The Trade Winds Motor Hotel located at I-40, Highway 66 exit in Albuquerque, NM. Enormous sign and futuristic architecture. Demolished in 2009 after becoming an Economy Inn.
The Harvey Motel at 2400 E 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD. with restaurant. Now the Rushmore Motel.
Tradewinds Motel at 11441 E Carson St., Lakewood, CA. Classic Sci Fi sign. Still open and sign still there though modernized.
Modern-Aire Motel on Hwy 30 East in Fremont, NE. Basic architecture dressed up with pink paint and a classic sign.
Mary-Lynn Motel, 21 units at U.S. Highways 601 & 74 in Monroe, NC. The Bonfire Restaurant next door very futuristic. Closed.
Holiday Lodge Deluxe Motor Hotel at 811 N. Alvarado St., Los Angeles, CA. Sign incorporated into the building. Closed.
Pine Lake Motel sign, 12 miles south of Montgomery, AL at U.S. 82 and 231. Still open, sign gone.
San Gorgonio Inn located at 150E Ramsey, Banning CA. Closed.
Kaui Surf Resort, Kalapaki Beach. Kaui, HI. Closed, now a Kaui Marriott there.
The Federal Plaza Motel at Federal and State St., Springfield, MA. Closed.
Jackson Lake Lodge, on Jackson Lake near Moran, WY. This card dated 1961. Still open.
Tropicana Motel in a very untropical place, 2415 Range Line, Joplin, MO. Tiki style cocktail lounge. Classic tropical style sign. Built 1960. Demolished early 2000s.
You know about their sign, the Holiday Inn architecture was often quite interesting too. This one at 21 Front St., Manchester, NH. Closed.
The Oklahoman Motor Hotel on Hwy 54 NE in Guyman, OK. 40 units. The boomerang was a common form of the time. Closed.
Stardust Motel at 666 E. Foothill Blvd., Azusa, CA. Great combo of sign and Googie architecture. Still open but sadly changed to Spanish Colonial
The Penn Ohio Truck Service Motel at 10650 Market St., in North Lima, OH. Just off I-75. Restaurant and pool. Still open.
Monteagle Restaurant & Motel on Highways 41 and 64 in Monteagle, TN. 38 units and gift shop. Closed.
If it had the word "Star" in it, it had a great sign. This one had a 150 person restaurant and was 2 blocks from Exit 16 on Route 27 in Youngstown, OH. Closed
Sun-N-Pines Motel at 208 S Timberland in Lufkin, TX. Card stamped 1956. Candlelite Room restaurant. Still open, sign modified, not as good.
Motor Inn Hotel at 8500 S. Main St., Houston, TX. Closed.
Frontier Motel at 5510 West Skelly Dr., Tulsa, OK. On Route 66. Featuring "Magic Fingers" Massaging beds. Closed.
Islander Motel at 1621 E. Pacheco in Los Banos, CA. Catered to tourists and hunters. Nice large sign of various shapes and sizes. Closed.
Capri City Center at 12th and Central West in Albuquerque, NM. Interesting juxtaposition of the Capri and Best Western signs. The Best Western looks pedestrain and dated next to the Capri. Closed.
Riviera Motel at 6621 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, NY. The Holiday Inn sign has been copied or repurposed. Now a Budget Host Inn. Sign gone.
Safari Motel East at 722 E Route 66 in Tucumcari, NM. 23 units. Still operating, sign and office still there. On the mother road.
The Starlite Motel was 4 blocks east of the Highway 81 stop light in Salina KS. Had 21 units. Great combo of futuristic forms such as angles, an arrow and stars. Still open, sign modified, not as good.
Stagecoach Inn at 4311 Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ. Sign almost the same as the Safari above.
Hyatt Lodge at 3525 State St., in Santa Barbara, CA. 74 units plus 4 full apartments. Very early Hyatt. Closed.
Wheat Lands Motel 1311 E Fulton, Garden City, KS. Hertz Rent-A-Car licensee. Still open but sign gone.
Thunderbird Lodge at Broadway & 3rd St. in Oakland, CA. Note the Googie style Sambos next door. Closed.
The Western Motel at Highway 66 and IH 40 in Sayre, OK. Still open and sign unchanged.
Tropics Motor Hotel at 1902 E. Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ. Built by Fred Jones and family in 1957. Best known for its restaurant/lounge/coffee shop. Closed in the 1980s.
Cosmic Age Lodge at 1717 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, CA. "the motel of tomorrow". Closed.
Riviera Motel, 2080 Ocean Blvd., Hallandale Beach, FL. Classic Miami Beach style, Midcentruy architecture. Torn down.
Lombardy Motel on the Boardwalk on Kentucky Ave., Atlantic City, NJ. Ice Skating rink. Closed.