Westlawn Addition, along the north side of US Highway 50S west of 14th Avenue, was platted in 1930 with all sorts of covenants and restrictions, many of which have been illegal for decades. The block between Westlawn and Gardner Avenues was pretty quiet until the 1940s.
The Hi-Way Cafe opened at what was then 2100 W Chestnut Street in October of 1947.
Dodge City Daily Globe, October 16, 1947
It is unclear whether she started the business, but Mary H Bledsoe operated the cafe at least as early as October of 1948. Florence Landrum was the manager in the early 1950s. New managers Wilbur and Dorothy Cunningham remodeled the cafe in the Spring of 1954.
Dodge City Daily Globe, March 23, 1954
After rebranding, Mary Bledsoe reopened the restaurant as The Car-Teria in June of 1956 serving chicken and shrimp boxes, sandwiches, malts, and shakes.
Dodge City Daily Globe, September 28, 1956
The Nicely family sold the Flamingo Motel in October of 1957 and immediately announced plans to build a new motel with 22 rooms on the site of The Car-Teria. The facility initially did not take up the entire block due to a drainage ditch at the west end.
Dodge City Daily Globe, October 29, 1957
Holiday Motel opened in February of 1958 without a pool or restaurant.
Dodge City Daily Globe, February 25, 1958
A small heated pool was added adjacent to the office shortly after the grand opening. In the early 1960s, the motel was expanded westward so that it outlined the entire block. Around that time, the Holiday Restaurant was constructed just west of the pool.
Dodge City Daily Globe, June 19, 1962
The building itself was unremarkable but the sign out front was a colorful mid-century classic.
Holiday Motel & Restaurant, 48126, postcard. Published by Variety Enterprises, Joplin, MO., circa 1970. Author’s collection.
Hong Kong Restaurant moved from the Lora-Locke Hotel into the former Holiday Restaurant space in the Summer of 1988.
Dodge City Daily Globe, July 1, 1988
In the early 2000s, the pool was removed so the restaurant could be expanded in its place. Hong Kong Restaurant closed when the owners of Osaki Sushi and Hibachi approached Kim Lee about renting the space for a sushi restaurant. Osaki opened in the Spring of 2015.
The motel doesn’t seem to have an online presence but the office was open when I stopped by. This is how the Holiday Motel looks today:
I really do understand why the big eye-catching signs have been replaced with plain plastic. I also hate them. These mid-century motels are old enough to qualify for the historic registers. Restoring the fun original signage from roadside America could be the next big trend!
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In July of 1889, the First Baptist Church on Second Street between Virginia and Sierra was destroyed by a fire which swept through the neighborhood. The congregation wasted no time purchasing property at the northwest corner of Second and what was then Chestnut Street.
Plans were completed in August for a wood frame structure measuring approximately 40 x 60 feet with a 100-foot spire. The new church was dedicated on May 25, 1890.
[WA-02787], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
At that time, the rest of the block was residential, bordering on rural. The 1890 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the church between Second Street and what would become known as Church Lane. You can click on the photo to see the full sheet.
By 1904, members of the Vietti family occupied homes north of the church and operated a blacksmith shop at 205 or 207 Chestnut Street, depending on the year and how street numbers were adjusted. Partners in the blacksmith shop included Carlo Marmo and John Bottini. This undated photo was taken after Bottini exited the business around 1917.
Nevada State Journal, July 29, 1956, 5. Newspapers.com.
You can click here to see a photo of this building from 1914 before Bottini’s name was covered on the sign.
The Baptist congregation received a $10,000 gift for construction of a new brick building in December of 1916. Architect Fred De Longchamps designed functional spaces to include a banquet hall, dedicated club rooms, and Sunday school rooms. Fundraising continued into the Spring of 1917 with the building contract awarded that August. Tapestry brick was supplied by Reno Pressed Brick Company. The corner stone was laid November 5, 1917.
Reno Evening Gazette, November 5, 1917, 3. Newspapers.com.
This photo was taken on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1918, the date of the opening service.
[Baptist Church, Reno UNRS-P2000-06-0177.tif collection_3259], Special Collections and University Archives Department, University of Nevada, Reno.
Vietti Blacksmith Shop was remodeled with what appeared to be a brick veneer in 1939. The name was changed to Nevada Blacksmith and Welding Company around 1940, at which time the wood frame section of the building was extended toward the west. Around 1941, John P Sapparrat became a partner in the business. The company also sold Minneapolis-Moline and Furguson agricultural equipment.
Nevada State Journal, August 7, 1955, 9. Newspapers.com.
The First Baptist congregation again ran out of space and sold the property to Town House Motor Lodge, Inc., which announced plans to replace the church with an 80-unit motel in July of 1955. As this motel would require additional lots to the north of the church property, Vietti family members became shareholders of this company rather than simply selling their lots. Plans were provided by the architectural firm Russell Mills and Associates.
Reno Evening Gazette, July 27, 1955, 15. Newspapers.com.
A decommissioning service (pictured below) was held on January 19, 1956.
[Decommissioning Service, First Baptist Church of Reno UNRS-P1991-47-10.tif, collection_4655], Special Collections and University Archives Department, University of Nevada, Reno.
The replat of this block required part of Church Lane to be vacated from Chestnut to Stevenson. A construction permit was issued in February of 1956 for $473,600. The heating installation permit was issued that April and a package liquor license for the attached mini mart was granted by the city in June. Town House Motor Lodge opened on July 24, 1956. The facility included a pool which could be converted into an ice rink. It had two bridal suites and a governor suite with Italian decor. Other rooms were decorated in a Chinese style.
Chestnut Street was renamed Arlington Avenue in April of 1957, presumably to make things less confusing. This particular street had a few different names, depending on the block.
Martin B Johnston bought the Town House in December of 1962 with plans to expand and remodel. Meanwhile, the motel was robbed over and over again. Some criminals used guns and knives but a woman held up the place with either a comb or hairbrush in her pocket. She broke down in tears and gave the money back but was still arrested.
Possibly the most brazen was a man who robbed the Town House thrice in January of 1963: Once on January 1, again on January 12, and yet again on January 19. The third time was not a charm for Milton R Ross, as the clerk had reached his limit and started blasting. Ross, who was not injured by the clerk’s bullets, was arrested on May 4, 1963 and admitted to his crimes.
Town House Motor Lodge, SC7702, postcard. Natural Color by Mike Roberts, circa mid-1960s. Author’s collection.
In January of 1976, a collision at the intersection of Second and Arlington caused the car driven by F. B. Goslow (pictured below) to hit the corner of the building. Injuries to the motorists were relatively minor and no serious damage was reported.
Reno Evening Gazette, January 13, 1976, 2. Newspapers.com.
Ownership changes and robberies continued regularly throughout the 1970s and ’80s, with a motel clerk being pistol whipped in January of 1982.
pho003941. Neon in Nevada Photograph Collection. PH-00225. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d1tm7209b.
In the mid-1990s, Reno experienced a glut of rooms and not enough visitors. Part of this was blamed on a lack of conventions in the area. The Town House, more specifically, began to host the type of people who snatched purses from unsuspecting tourists.
On Christmas Day 2000, a man reported to police he fell off a balcony after being chased by someone with a knife. Upon further investigation, police learned a combination of drugs and mental health issues caused him to jump off the balcony.
A drug bust in April of 2002 netted $1,000 and seven grams of crack. The motel mini mart was caught selling alcohol to a minor in February of 2003. There was another drug bust in January of 2004 with a convicted felon arrested for being in possession of a firearm among other charges. In October of 2011, a 67-year-old woman was killed when she was run over by a car in the parking lot.
The Town House was on the delinquent tax list for several years. Secundo Vita Duo, LLC bought the property in 2015 with big plans to demolish and redevelop it and several other mid-century motels. That entity transferred the Town House to Secundo Vita, LLC. in 2016 and the project stalled.
Amazingly, the motel still hosted events including the NadaDada art exhibitions throughout its decline. I believe the last year may have been 2016. In May of 2017, management hired people to dispose of mattresses and other items infested with bed bugs. New furniture was purchased. All of this was done to accommodate new residents who were being displaced from other gentrification projects in the area.
This Google Street View image from March of 2020 shows the Town House Motor Lodge with the neon sign and swimming pool long gone. This was about the time Jacobs Entertainment became involved with the property.
Town House Motor Lodge became vacant around Thanksgiving of 2020 and was demolished in February of 2021. Piles of bricks were still lying around on the empty lot that November.
Ground was finally broken on the 245 North Arlington luxury apartments in May of 2022. This building was originally meant to consist of 130 condos but construction costs caused a pivot to 60 apartments. Lease applications were accepted beginning January 1, 2025 and the grand opening was held on March 6.
This is how the site of the former Town House Motor Lodge looks today:
Photo by Anna King
Generally speaking, preservation of old buildings is better than having them end up in landfills. However, this one wasn’t aesthetically pleasing and probably needed to go. I haven’t been able to find any information about what happened to that beautiful neon sign, though. If anyone knows, please drop a comment.
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For the past couple weeks, I have attempted to write a thorough and accurate story about the Flamingo Motel in Dodge City. Unfortunately, the physical place where I must connect to the Wi-fi in order to access the digitized Globe archives from 1928 through 2011 has experienced technical difficulties two Saturdays in a row. So bear with me; I’m doing the best I can.
Lloyd and Dixon Nicely built the Flamingo Motel around 1957. At that time, the site was just east of the King Cole Bake Shop operated by Milton Bailey. It appears the Nicelys sold the Flamingo by early 1958 and began constructing the Holiday Motel just down the road. They also built at least one motel in Garden City.
This postcard was printed around 1959 when Agnes Lucus (not Lucas) owned and managed the Flamingo. The motel advertised being “Duncan Hines Approved” with 22 new modern units.
Postcard courtesy Ford County Historical Society
The original Flamingo had a standard mid-century U shape with a heated pool in the middle. Also, I’m a sucker for pretty letterhead.
Letterhead courtesy Ford County Historical Society
The Flamingo expanded with an adjacent U to the east in the 1960s. Francis Campbell assumed management of the facility, which boasted 40 deluxe units.
Postcard courtesy Ford County Historical Society
Under Francis Campbell’s management, the motel became part of the TraveLodge brand around 1969.
Postcard courtesy Ford County Historical Society
Gerald Klinginsmith, Marvin Pfannenstiel, and Glenn Kuhlman formed GMG, Inc. in July of 1972. The Dodge House Restaurant & Saloon was built directly west of the TraveLodge around 1974. Ultimately, GMG operated both of those establishments plus the Holidome, which wasn’t physically connected to the Dodge House Restaurant at that time.
Polk’s Dodge City Directory, 1978
Around 1982, Dodge City TraveLodge was renamed Dodge House Motel. The hotel northwest of the restaurant was still called the Holidome so it was logical to have the restaurant and the motel to the east share a name.
In the late 1980s, the Holidome became the Dodge House Inn. That structure became physically connected to the Dodge House Restaurant, and the Dodge House Motel was still located the next door over at the old Flamingo. I have officially lost track of how many establishments in this town have been called “Dodge House” something or the other.
Around 1991, the former Flamingo became known as the Drover’s Inn. It continued operating with that name until around 1997, when it was renamed The Harbor House. However, that establishment was very short-lived and the motel was demolished sometime between 1998 and 2002. A La Quinta has occupied the space since around 2007.
This is how the site of the former Flamingo Motel looks today:
My regular publishing frequency has been biweekly with the exception of instances when I have been unable to access the necessary archives to write a complete story. I have pursued resolution for the past couple years and will continue doing so. If these efforts prove unsuccessful, I may have to rethink the Then and Now series. Stay tuned.
If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe (way at the bottom of the post on mobile devices) to receive an email each time a new post is published and share on social media. You can also support my work by donating below. This content is 100% funded by history fanatics such as yourself. Thanks for reading!
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This may come as a surprise but national trends sometimes take a minute to catch on in Dodge City. The transition from tourist or cabin camps to motels was no exception. Arthur Heineman coined the term “Mo-Tel” in 1925 but that term didn’t pop up in Dodge until after World War II when the Shangri-La Motel was built.
R. Roy and Leona Taylor built the 100th Meridian Court and Service Station in 1946. At that time, the location was half a mile west of town on the north side of Highway 50.
Dodge City Daily Globe, January 2, 1947
Like most tourist courts, the 100th Meridian consisted of a cluster of individual cabins.
Dodge City Daily Globe, March 16, 1948
The Taylors hopped on the motel bandwagon by 1948 and the 100th Meridian Motel was officially born.
Dodge City Daily Globe, November 19, 1948
This postcard, printed with the wrong street number, shows the motel office with the service station to the right.
The next postcard was printed with the correct street number and shows the first in a series of additions as well as the five flags, which the Taylors had installed at the front of the property.
As cleanliness in accommodations became the norm, motels moved away from the white motif and toward the blonde mid-century modern brick.
Around 1962, the Taylors sold the property to John and Betty Koepke and it was renamed Thunderbird Motel by 1963.
By 1967, Ben Jr. and Dorothy Clark operated the Thunderbird and the famous swimming pool was quite the attraction.
From the Kansas Heritage Center Motels Collection
Once upon a time, local motels allowed people to pay a small fee to swim. The Thunderbird was the best of those, mainly because the pool was so large, but also because we didn’t get in trouble for doing cannonballs.
This is the Thunderbird Motel I remember with the colorful barrier around the pool.
Photographer Unknown
I somehow never heard about the murder which took place in the basement under the office building in March of 1992. At that time, the Thunderbird was managed by Roger Sr. and Kelly Taubr, aka Jones. Roger apparently beat and strangled employee Patrick “Buddy” Howe to death in that basement because Howe wanted to move to Oklahoma or Texas to be near family. Howe’s body was found in a culvert near the Ford/Gray County line.
Dodge City Daily Globe, December 12 1998
Dodge City Daily Globe, December 12 1998
A warrant was issued in 1996 but the couple fled and were finally arrested in Monroe County, Georgia in the Spring of 2015 after working in several states under numerous aliases.
Although the Thunderbird Motel continues to operate in the location of the former 100th Meridian Court, the pool we enjoyed so much was filled in ages ago. The glorious neon sign has been restored and is extremely popular with roadside photographers.
These photos were taken in June of 2023:
I seriously considered including a nighttime photograph of the illuminated sign but have never been able to do it justice. The next time you’re out and about after dark, drive by and see it for yourself. Functional neon signs are going the way of the tourist court.
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It’s amazing how different the area between the Dodge House and Matt Down Lane appears now compared to when I was a child. The Aqua Slide was pretty far from our house but it was also amazing, so summers were spent there getting bruised to bits. If you know, you know! We had to pass the miniature golf place on the north side of Wyatt Earp to get there but also a few seedy motels. One such motel began as something much more appealing.
The West Side Camp appears to have gotten its start as the White Cottage Camp in the late 1920s. Like most tourist camps, it included a small grocery store and a filling station. The name change occurred sometime after the 1930 directory was printed.
Dodge City Daily Globe, August 31, 1931
Throughout the 1930s, the West Side Camp had several individual cottages for rent, and long-term agreements were welcomed. The housing situation in Dodge was just as tight then as it is now and people took whatever they could get.
Dodge City Daily Globe, August 26, 1939
While Henry Holbrook’s name was associated with the camp early on, Walter Stapleton ran it in the early 1940s.
Dodge City Daily Globe, November 13, 1940
The camp was purchased by Roy Evans in September of 1950 and renamed the Royal Motel.
Dodge City Daily Globe, January 9, 1951
Dodge City Daily Globe, January 9, 1951
After completing several upgrades, Evans sold the expanded Royal Motel to Roland Page in June of 1954.
Dodge City Daily Globe, June 17, 1954
Page increased local traffic by encouraging clubs and other groups to hold their meetings in the TV lounge.
Dodge City Daily Globe, January 26, 1955
His plan appears to have been successful and a permit was approved in March of 1955 to build a cafe at the motel.
Dodge City Daily Globe, March 12, 1955
Being in the construction business certainly helped Page move things along and the grand opening was held on May 2.
Dodge City Daily Globe, April 30, 1955
This undated postcard shows the entrance from Collar Avenue. You can see how the lot slopes down toward Chestnut/Wyatt Earp.
Photographer Unknown
The motel was robbed in September of 1957 and a female guest was nearly taken hostage. Police arrested 19-year-old Bobby Ray Hicks of Kentucky, who was found with $300 of the $350 that was stolen from Mr. and Mrs. Rod Page. There was a police chase but the two accomplices got away after fleeing at speeds up to 120 miles per hour.
Garden City Telegram, September 23, 1957
Stanley and Bessey Welsh bought the motel around 1959.
Polk’s Dodge City (Ford County, Kansas) Directory 1960
By the 1970s, the neon sign at the entrance had been replaced with a larger, more visible model.
Your Guide to Dining & Lodging in the Cowboy Capital Dodge City, Kansas, 1974-75
Stanley Welsh died in December of 1978 and it appears Bessey sold the motel not long after. In the 1980s, the motel began a serious downward spiral. Newspaper reports included tons of 911 calls for assaults, burglaries, and slit tires. The most serious event was a deadly fire in December of 1980.
Dodge City Daily Globe, December 17, 1980
Dianna’s notification to her “friends” appears to be a thinly veiled ad for prostitution after her release from jail.
Dodge City Daily Globe, August 13, 1983
The motel was somehow still open in February of 1986 but not for much longer. It was vacant by 1990 and mostly demolished soon after. A building permit was issued for a $2.9 million hotel on the lot in 2009 but it never materialized. Property taxes haven’t been paid since 2018.
Here’s how it looked this summer:
I don’t have any insightful opinions about what Dodge needs or doesn’t need as far as development is concerned. Perhaps just a little less bindweed would be nice.
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When I was a kid, the Shangri-La Motel was kind of a rundown, junky place. It was difficult for me to imagine it being a respectable establishment with attractive landscaping and a restaurant where people held wedding rehearsal dinners. And what was the deal with that giant house on the hill behind the motel? I definitely would have remembered seeing that!
Morris Collar was one of the founders of Ford County in 1873. He was a successful merchant who was known for buying cheap and selling cheap.
Dodge City Messenger, July 2, 1874
The man was absolutely not trying to lose money.
Ford County Globe, January 29, 1878
Morris and Mary Collar began constructing a large home west of Dodge in late 1879. Work was finished in early 1880.
Ford County Globe, January 6, 1880
This plat map from May of 1886 shows Collar’s farm at the lower left. In those days, the north and south streets hadn’t yet been renamed to reflect the current numbered system.
This part of Dodge was really borderline rural into the mid-1920s. You can see on the 1926 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map it had been annexed by the City but there was no separate page with any mapped structures.
Finally, the 1932 Sanborn shows the Reeves Addition between 11th and 12th Avenues and the Reeves House in the middle. Remember all those houses that once lined Wyatt Earp?
Ernest and Velma Nickels bought all of Block 22 (except the house) from May Reeves around September of 1945. Albert had died in 1925 and May continued to live in the home along with some boarders.
Dodge City Daily Globe, September 24, 1945
Nickels built the Shangri La Motel in 1946. The first units were used beginning April 29. By June 1, 22 units were in service with two more to go and all were completed by the end of July. They planned to add air conditioning to all units once the equipment became available. As part of the property purchase, the exterior of the Reeves House was changed to complement the modern style of the motel.
Photographer Unknown
The Motel Service Station opened on the corner of 11th Avenue and West Chestnut in April of 1946.
To The Stars (Topeka, Kan.), August 1946
The restaurant building was not far behind with a similar color scheme.
To The Stars (Topeka, Kan.), August 1946
The Shangri La Motel Luncheonette opened in the Summer of 1947, managed by Mr. and Mrs. Sol Haar. The chef at that time was Jack Lee.
Dodge City Daily Globe, July 4, 1947
The selection was fantastic. Given the chance, I’d eat there today!
The Culinary Institute of America Menu Collection; Chapman S. Root Menu Collection
The Culinary Institute of America Menu Collection; Chapman S. Root Menu Collection
The Culinary Institute of America Menu Collection; Chapman S. Root Menu Collection
In the early days, the grounds were very neatly manicured.
The original motel sign was much simpler than the one in place when I was growing up.
Photographer Unknown
I feel like I’m beating a dead horse with these postcards but the difference between this snazzy place and the one from the 1980s is just very stark. The back read, “Within west city limits on Highway 50S. 24 Air-Conditioned Units, with heated garages. Rooms fully carpeted, Living Rooms and Baths separately Panelray heated, Fluorescent Lighted, Combination Shower and Tub Baths. Simmons Beauty Rests, Modern three room Eating House, specializing in nice steaks, Fried Chicken, and Sea Food Dinners, in the foreground. Built to serve the Traveling Public (no permanents). Paid reservations accepted and held until arrival of guests, unpaid reservations used after 6 P. M. if needed. Phone 695.”
May Reeves sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Nickels in September of 1951.
Dodge City Daily Globe, September 5, 1951
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Dressler leased and operated the service station, which had been renamed Shangri La Conoco by 1959. The motel and restaurant were still doing quite well.
Polk’s Dodge City (Ford County, Kansas) Directory 1959
I’ve read local lore suggesting the Shangri La Motel with the Reeves House in the background was the inspiration for the setting of the Bates Motel in the movie, Psycho.
Photographer Unknown
However, it is commonly believed the backdrop was inspired by Hopper’s painting House by the Railroad of a Victorian home in Haverstraw, New York.
Photo courtesy Kansas Heritage Center Photo Collection
This photo does look like the set of a horror movie, though.
Photo courtesy Kansas Heritage Center Photo Collection
In April of 1960, the entire property was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Schroeder of Wichita. Judging by the fun font below, they were hip and with it.
Dodge City Daily Globe, Kansas Centennial Edition, July 1961
By 1962, the gas station had become a Rainbow Laundrette. And in 1967, disaster struck. The house had to go.
Dodge City Daily Globe, April 19, 1967
But why, you might ask. Because they were hip and with it and the house apparently was not.
Dodge City Daily Globe, May 22, 1967
I literally cannot even begin to process that answer. This photo was taken at the beginning of the process.
Photo courtesy Kansas Heritage Center Photo Collection
In this photo, you can see how close the sidewalk had gotten to the updated motel sign. Wyatt Earp Boulevard had been widened and it still had further to go. Since the signage evolved to include a dash in the name, I’ll do the same.
John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
One very unique feature of the Shangri-La was each room had an attached garage. This was rumored to have been extremely convenient for extramarital activities. Clearly, people weren’t as stealthy as they thought or I wouldn’t be telling you about it.
John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
At some point, the neon sign was replaced with cheap plastic and that fit nicely with the condition of the property.
Photographer Unknown
The motel was still open in July of 1984 but there was a lot of crime happening on the premises. The Globe dispatch records were filled with emergency reports from crime victims at that address. The motel went on the market but there were no takers. Get a load of those interest rates!
Dodge City Daily Globe, October 24, 1984
The property was relisted with Coldwell Banker for $300,000 in July of 1985 but there still wasn’t a deal to be made.
Photo by Troy Robinson
I’m not completely clear about what specific issues the City of Dodge City had with the facility. Because of the steep grade and number of stairs, I can only assume there were serious accessibility concerns, which could have been expensive to address. It could have been a combination of several factors. The Schroeders still owned the motel and after making an agreement with the City, the Shangri-La was demolished in early 1987.
Dodge City Daily Globe, January 27, 1987
The location is currently a KFC and you can see the majority of the lot was leveled with a tall retaining wall at the north end of the parking lot.
In its day, the Shangri-La property was posh and modern, not to mention unique! Of course, it’s a shame that it wasn’t maintained and preserved but it’s difficult to criticize the decision to demolish without knowing the details. I remember it being an absolute eyesore and was glad to see it go. In those days, I had no concept of what we were actually losing.
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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.
Great Bend Daily Tribune, August 24, 1964
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.
Dodge City Daily Globe, March 26, 1965
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.
Your Guide to Dining & Lodging in the Cowboy Capital Dodge City, Kansas, 1974-75
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 Salina Journal, August 25, 1998
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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