A motel or motor lodge is a hotel designed for motorists and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, coined as a portmanteau contraction of "motor hotel", originates from the Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California, which was built in 1925. The term referred initially to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and in some circumstances, a common area or a series of small cabins with common parking. Motels are often individually owned, though motel chains do exist.
Seligman is a census-designated place (CDP) on the northern border of Yavapai County, in northwestern Arizona, the United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.
Glenrio, formerly Rock Island, is an unincorporated community in both Deaf Smith County, Texas, and Quay County, New Mexico, in the United States. Located on the former U.S. Route 66, the ghost town sits on the Texas–New Mexico state line. It includes the Glenrio Historic District which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The Lake McDonald Lodge Historic District is a historic district in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. It comprises the Lake McDonald Lodge and surrounding structures on the shores of Lake McDonald. It is centered on the main lodge, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, as well as surrounding guest cabins, dormitory buildings, employee residences, utility buildings, and retail structures. The district includes several privately owned inholding structures that are contributing structures, as well as a number of non-contributing buildings.
U.S. Route 66 in the state of Texas extended across the Texas Panhandle from its designation in 1926 to its decommissioning in 1985.
The Wigwam Motels, also known as the "Wigwam Villages," is a motel chain in the United States built during the 1930s and 1940s. The rooms are built in the form of tipis, mistakenly referred to as wigwams. It originally had seven different locations: two locations in Kentucky and one each in Alabama, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, and California.
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant. Government agencies, at the state, national, and local level in the United States, have differing definitions of what constitutes a contributing property but there are common characteristics. Local laws often regulate the changes that can be made to contributing structures within designated historic districts. The first local ordinances dealing with the alteration of buildings within historic districts was in Charleston, South Carolina in 1931.
Black Hawk State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, in the town of Lake View. The park includes land, campgrounds, trails, game preserves, historic structures, and the waters of Black Hawk Lake. Also it is home to the Lake View Water Carnival. This event is held the third full weekend in July every year, and includes many family-friendly activities including a Water Parade. Three sections of the park were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
The U-Drop Inn, also known as Tower Station and U-Drop Inn and Tower Café, was built in 1936 in Shamrock, Texas along the historic Route 66 highway. Inspired by the image of a nail stuck in soil, the building was designed by J. C. Berry. An unusual example of art deco architecture applied to a gas station and restaurant, the building features two flared towers with geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, glazed ceramic tile walls, and neon light accents. It has traditionally held two separate business: "Tower Station", a gas station on the western side, and the "U-Drop Inn", a café on the eastern side. Though it has passed hands several times in its history, the building has consistently housed the same types of businesses it was originally constructed for.
Belvidere Café, Motel and Gas Station is a historic building in Litchfield, Illinois along Route 66. The site also has a residence and two motel units.
The Crawford County Courthouse is in Denison, Iowa, United States, the county seat of Crawford County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
The Linn County Courthouse is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building and two other buildings, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
Lake Crescent Lodge, originally called Singer's Lake Crescent Tavern, is a historic resort situated on the shores of Lake Crescent west of Port Angeles, Washington. Located on the Olympic Peninsula within Olympic National Park, the Lodge is owned by the National Park Service and operated by Aramark. The Lodge resort is open seasonally from early May until the end of January with select cabins available during the winter months. Hiking and boating are popular activities for guests, and several peaks, including Mount Storm King and Pyramid Mountain, are easily accessible from the resort. Other hiking opportunities include Marymere Falls, Spruce Railroad, and Barnes Creek Trails.
The Chief Mountain Border Station and Quarters is a customs station on the Canada–United States border in Glacier County, Montana. Located on Montana Highway 17, the station is operated seasonally, primarily for tourist traffic between Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. The station is named after Chief Mountain, a prominent peak in the vicinity. The station is owned by the General Services Administration and operated by the U.S. Customs Service, and is located within the boundaries of Glacier National Park. The station is a notable example of the National Park Service Rustic style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Wagon Wheel Motel, Café and Station in Cuba, Missouri, is a 19-room independently owned historic U.S. Route 66 restored motel which has been serving travelers since 1938. The site opened as a café in 1936; the motel has remained in continuous operation since 1938. The motel rooms were fully restored in 2010, adding modern amenities such as HDTV and wireless Internet.
Williams Deluxe Cabins is a historic motel complex located in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1937, and includes four contributing buildings. They are a service station and motel office, house, and two multiple rental units. The buildings have Tudor Revival design influences, such as half-timbering and rough faced stucco finish. The service station is a 1 1/2-story, "T"-shaped building with a steeply pitched cross gable roof. It is linked to the office by a one-story breezeway. The place is also referred to as Icabod's Plaza or Icabod's News.
The former Lake City Public Library is a historic structure located in Lake City, Iowa, United States. Efforts to establish a library began as early as 1889 when community socials were held to raise money for books. Women in the community, however, would not form a community library association until 1905. They sought donations of books and money from the community and were able to set up a subscription that year in the old primary building next to Central School. By 1908 there were 1,500 volumes in the library. The Association proposed to the city council in February of the same year that they turn their holdings over to the city for a free library. The council agreed to submit the proposal to the voters and the Association petitioned the Carnegie Corporation of New York for funds to build a new building. They accepted Lake City's application for a grant for $7,500 on May 8, 1908, and approved the library proposal in early June. S.T. and E.S. Hutchison donated the property. Denison, Iowa architect Edgar Lee Barber designed the Neoclassical building that was built by Nelson Construction Company. It opened in April 1910. There was no formal dedication. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The community has subsequently built a new library, and this building now houses a commercial business.
Big Chief Restaurant, located at 17352 Old Manchester Road in Wildwood, Missouri, currently operates under the name Big Chief Roadhouse. It was also formerly known as Big Chief Highway Hotel and Big Chief Dakota Grill. The restaurant opened in 1928 as part of a tourist camp that included overnight accommodations for travelers on the newly opened U.S. Route 66 at Pond, Missouri, now incorporated within Wildwood. After the highway was later routed to bypass Pond, the business struggled to survive, operating as housing for government employees during World War II. Eventually the cabins were demolished, and the restaurant was used for other business operations. It was reopened as a restaurant in the 1990s.
The King Tower Historic District, also known as The King Tower One-Stop, is a historic district located in Tama, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The King Tower One-Stop is a gas station, tourist court, and cafe built by Wes Mansfield on the Lincoln Highway. The Spanish Colonial Revival gas station and cafe was completed in 1937, and 18 tourist cabins were completed the following year. The historic district is an example of a "one stop-food, gas, auto repair and tourist cabins" that were built during "the transition from mom-and-pop roadside businesses to the national chain gas, food and lodging businesses that would soon dominate the trade." At one time it was open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. In addition to over-the-road truckers, travelers, law enforcement officers, and local families, it was a place the town's bar patrons would go after the bars closed at 2:00 am. Local clubs and organizations held their meetings here. It was also a stopping point for presidential hopefuls before the Iowa caucuses.
The Preston's Station Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Belle Plaine, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The district is composed of three contributing buildings, a gas station, garage, and motel. The gas station was built by Frank Fiene in 1912 at the corner of 7th Avenue and 19th Street. It was moved to its present 4th Avenue location in 1921 to take advantage of the traffic off of the Lincoln Highway when it was rerouted through Belle Plaine. George W. Preston bought the station two years later for $100. The gas station is a single-story wood-frame structure. It had a canopy that extended over the gas pumps, but it was removed before 1965. A single-story concrete block garage was built next to the station in 1943. It features a sliding barn door on its main facade. Automobile repairs were performed in the garage before it housed Preston's memorabilia collection, which is now located in the former gas station as well. Antique advertising and highway signs cover the station and the garage. A three-unit motel was added next to the garage sometime before 1949. The gas station remained in operation until 1989.
