AstroMotel Then and Now

2200 W Wyatt Earp Boulevard

The beginning of the Space Age in the late 1950s inspired an entire architectural movement that maybe went a bit overboard with its enthusiasm. I don’t know if the AstroMotel design technically falls under the Googie umbrella but it’s at the very least Googie-adjacent.

AstroMotels, Inc. was formed in California on May 15, 1962. Classified ads ran constantly in the Los Angeles Times seeking investors for a “SPACE AGE MOTEL.” The resident co-owner/operator agreement required a minimum $40,000 investment. AstroMotels would buy the lot and build the motel. Then the company would turn over management of the motel to the co-owner once they received training. Each motel included a Scandinavian dry sauna and heated pool.

It didn’t take long for the franchise to begin advertising across the country. Although the concept didn’t seem to catch on at all along the East Coast, the company achieved moderate success in the western half of the United States.

AstroMotels, Inc. was formed in Kansas on May 20, 1964. Construction was underway in Dodge City and Hutchinson in August of 1964 and both locations were scheduled for completion in late October.

Dodge City’s AstroMotel opened for business on March 11, 1965 with around 30 units. The open house was held on March 28 by co-owners Jack and Doris Jones.

A couple of those photos are pretty dark so here are the lightened versions:

It didn’t take long for problems to arise at the corporate level. Co-owners began filing lawsuits when their investments were collected based upon allegedly false pretenses. In Idaho, plaintiffs alleged AstroMotels and their bank conspired to conceal from the co-owners that obtaining adequate financing to construct a motel would be impossible.

The Kansas corporation forfeited its registration on September 1, 1965.

The California corporation was suspended by the state’s franchise tax board on October 1, 1969.

Despite turbulence at the corporate level, the Dodge City motel seemed to do just fine for quite a while. Although the pool at the east end of the building was small, it was popular with local kids.

But by the time I was old enough to notice the AstroMotel in the 1980s, the Space Age concept had become tired and dated like a Tuscan-inspired kitchen. For some reason, I remember the lobby area exterior being white with blue accents to match the sign but wouldn’t swear to it. A Frommer’s guide in 1997 warned “Pool area is unattractive and very small.” That was my observation as well. The pool at the Thunderbird was much better.

Anyway, did you know Albert Einstein’s brain spent the night in the parking lot of Dodge City’s AstroMotel? I’m not even kidding. In the trunk of a Buick Skylark! This bizarre feature piece that ran in the October 1997 issue of Harper’s Magazine was later published as a book.

I kind of feel like you would need to be a drinker to manage a motel. Carl apparently disagreed.

The AstroMotel hung in there until the mid 2000s. It was mentioned in several guides as being pet-friendly. The 2005 edition of Roadtripping USA said the following: “Well-maintained, clean, rooms with refrigerators and microwaves. Continental breakfast included. Singles $36, doubles $44”

By 2007, it was a Budget Motel. The motel underwent a $30,000 renovation around 2008. The pool was filled in sometime after 2012. By 2015, it was an America’s Best Value Inn. Then it became a Rodeway Inn and now it’s an Executive Inn.

Here’s how the former AstroMotel looks today:

If you would like to go back in time, the motel’s Trip Advisor page has several photos, some from when the pool was still in the ground. And the Google Street View goes back to 2007. This Roadside Architecture website has information about several former AstroMotels, although the location in Hutchinson has since been remodeled and rebranded.

The allure of mid-century modern design has experienced a remarkable resurgence in recent years. In some parts of the country, remnants of the Space Age are being preserved and celebrated as a reminder of the optimism of this bygone era. While I’ve never been a huge MCM fan, I do appreciate starbursts, boomerang shapes, and colorful neon signs. Beige is just so…boring.

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