Belleville Motel (Demolished)
Belleville, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The clean lines of the Belleville Motel sign gave this Illinois lodging stop a smart roadside appearance. The marquee looked well cared for when this view was taken, making it easy to imagine tired motorists following it toward a room.

Lodging records place the motel on South Belt West, rather than North Belt West as previously captioned. It served Belleville travelers for years, with the sign providing a recognizable introduction. An exact opening date hasn’t been confirmed, so the reported 1950s beginnings remain uncertain.

UPDATE: Belleville Motel and its vintage sign are reported demolished. The supplied account of a shopping-center replacement could not be independently verified. The roadside display is gone, but the precise demolition date and subsequent use of the property still need confirmation. 07-26

Gorilla Villa (Gone)
Gravois Mills, MO
Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans

Ever heard of the Gorilla Villa? How about the "headless" Gorilla Villa? Well, the Gorilla Villa sign in gorilla... 'er... Gravois Mills, MO used to have a head until a storm ripped the head off a few years back. Now, this headless sign can't help but turn the head of the roadside traveler passing through. Unless, of course, the traveler is used to seeing headless apparitions.

The 1940s-era property served Lake of the Ozarks travelers before closing and deteriorating. Its oversized mascot gave the place a memorable identity, though the headless version probably attracted just as many double takes as the original.

UPDATE: The Gorilla Villa has left the premises. The old motel on Route 5 has been torn down by the Gravois Mills board of trustees not long after the property was purchased by the board in June. According to the LakeNewsOnline article, the 1940's era motel is being replaced by a city park. 07-11

UPDATE: The village purchased Gorilla Villa in June 2011 and demolished the buildings for a public park. The headless sign is also gone. Its eventual fate remains unknown, bringing an end to one of the lake area’s stranger roadside welcomes. 07-26

Fremont Turnpike Motel (Rem.)
Oak Harbor, OH
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The Fremont Turnpike Motel offered a convenient overnight stop near Ohio’s toll road. Its single-story rooms and old roadside sign had the familiar appearance of a place built around automobile travel. Park near the door, unload the suitcase, and call it a night.

A 1966 travel guide listed 20 rooms along Route 53 near the Fremont interchange. That places the motel in operation within about a decade of the Ohio Turnpike’s 1955 opening. Although captioned as Oak Harbor, the property uses a Fremont address.

UPDATE: The motel continues operating as Delux Inn. The original Fremont Turnpike marquee has been replaced, but the older motor court remains. A different name now welcomes guests to this longtime stop near the turnpike. 07-26

Orchard Motel (Demolished)
Oak Harbor, OH
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The old marquee at Orchard Motel gave travelers along State Route 53 near Oak Harbor, Ohio, something worth noticing. The small motor court stood along the route toward Catawba Island, where summer traffic brought vacationers headed for Lake Erie.

Reportedly built in 1950, Orchard offered the straightforward overnight accommodations associated with family-run roadside motels. Its modest buildings and recognizable sign suited travelers looking for a room before continuing toward the shoreline. The opening date has not been independently confirmed.

UPDATE: Orchard Motel is reported demolished in 2022, with its sign removed during redevelopment. Additional documentation confirming that date and the property’s replacement use has not surfaced. Neither the old lodging business nor its roadside welcome remains in service. 07-26

Parakeet Motel (Demolished)
Springfield, MO
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The bright bird atop Parakeet Motel gave travelers west of Springfield, Missouri, a cheerful roadside welcome. Its name and mascot worked together nicely, making this more memorable than another plain motel panel. A parakeet was certainly an unusual choice for the job.

A vintage postcard identifies Earl and Ola Mae Barnes as owners. Along Highways 166 and 60, they advertised refrigerated air conditioning, foam-rubber mattresses, steam heat, television, and an adjoining café and service station. The property later became Parakeet Apartments.

UPDATE: The property is reported destroyed by fire in late 2015 and subsequently cleared. Signage records show the marquee painted black by 2016 and removed by 2019. The bird no longer marks the roadside, and its eventual destination remains unknown. 07-26

Abandoned Motel
Kokomo, IN
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

This abandoned motel in Kokomo, Indiana, probably wasn’t what the Beach Boys had in mind. The faded buildings and weathered sign looked well past their vacation days. Still, the quiet property offered the sort of roadside scene that makes you slow down and wonder about its earlier life.

The motel reportedly served travelers along the U.S. 31 corridor, but its original name, owners, and operating dates remain unidentified. Without those details, it’s difficult to separate its history from the many other independent lodging stops that once lined the highway.

UPDATE: The motel and sign are reported demolished. The exact demolition date and subsequent use of the property remain unconfirmed. Anyone who recognizes the building or remembers its name could help fill in another small piece of Kokomo’s roadside history. 07-26

Fontaine Motel
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

The oversized marquee at Fontaine Motel gives Woodward Avenue in Detroit a substantial roadside landmark. Even without working neon, it has enough size and shape to catch your attention. This was a sign designed to make sure motorists noticed the rooms behind it.

Fontaine was operating by 1960, when contemporary accounts place it among Detroit-area motels. The marquee is thought to date from the 1950s or ’60s, with a fountain-like pattern that may originally have included twinkling bulbs. Several repaintings changed its colors over the years.

UPDATE: Fontaine remains reported closed and vacant. The sign survived at least through 2022, when it had been painted yellow, but its present condition has not been independently confirmed. Its large frame has outlasted the motel’s active lodging years. 07-26