Park Row Lodge
Manitou Springs, CO
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

The Park Row Lodge in Manitou Springs has more history behind it than its colorful marquee might suggest. Dating to 1948, the property at 54 Manitou Avenue began as a small motor court with an office and five flat-roofed duplex buildings arranged in an L-shaped layout. 10-07

Originally, the lodge featured Moderne styling, including streamlined details and corner casement windows. Later remodeling introduced a mansard roof and removed some of those early features. An old advertising invitation to enjoy the property's large television lounge recalls when watching TV could be a communal part of a motel stay.

UPDATE: Park Row Lodge remains listed as visitor accommodation, offering 19 rooms and two cabins, with a creekside picnic area and fireplaces. Its documented history reaches back nearly eight decades. 11-26

Evergreen Motel
Littleton, CO
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

The Evergreen Motel in Littleton advertises steam heat on its roadside marquee. Located at 5810 South Santa Fe Drive, the property has a sign believed to date from the 1950s, although its exact installation year has not been established. 10-07

The steam-heat lettering is what makes this one especially interesting. Before travelers took individual room heating and air conditioning for granted, motel owners advertised those comforts alongside televisions and telephones. Here, the promise of a warm room remains part of the sign's appeal.

UPDATE: The Evergreen continues to appear in lodging listings at its longtime address. Its opening date remains unconfirmed, so the estimated age of the sign should not be treated as the motel's established construction date. 11-26

Anchor Motel
Denver, CO
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

The Anchor Motel puts its name right into its marquee, with a prominent anchor giving this South Broadway property an unmistakable identity. It appears to have first opened around1955. 10-07

Property listings describe a two-story motel with 19 rooms and exterior entrances. Those details give a clearer picture of the modest operation behind the sign: a compact roadside property rather than a sprawling motor inn.

The nautical theme makes an amusing contrast with its inland Colorado setting. The sign also caught the attention of an artist whose illustration of the motel is represented in Children's Hospital Colorado's collection, preserving its weathered neon details in another form.

UPDATE: The documented construction date is approximately 1955, correcting the earlier 1954 claim. The motel's current operating status and the marquee's present condition still need confirmation. 11-26

Palo Mar Lodge (Gone)
Colorado Springs, CO
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

The Palo Mar Lodge in Colorado Springs once featured a tall roadside marquee that was hard to miss. Like many independent motels of the era, the sign served as both an advertisement and a landmark for travelers passing through town.

For years, the lodge and its prominent sign were familiar sights along North Nevada Avenue, representing a style of roadside lodging that has steadily become less common with time. 10-07

UPDATE: The Palo Mar Lodge no longer operates under its historic name. Around 2016, the property was rebranded as the Aspen Lodge, and the large roadside marquee that once identified the motel was removed. While the lodging property remains, one of its most recognizable features has been lost to time. 06-26

North Federal Valley Motel (Rem.)
Denver, CO
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

The North Federal Valley Motel took its name from its location along Federal Boulevard north of central Denver. At 6231 Federal Boulevard, the property dates to 1954, giving this modest roadside stop a documented connection to the postwar growth of automobile travel. 10-07

A later sales listing describes 21 rooms, two stories, and exterior entrances on approximately 0.63 acre. Those details help explain the scale of the operation behind the marquee, with guest rooms accessible directly from outside.

The listing emphasized visibility and passing traffic, the same advantages that made a distinctive roadside sign useful in the first place. Along a busy commercial corridor, getting noticed was an essential part of attracting overnight guests.

UPDATE: The North Federal Valley Motel remains in operation today, but its original vintage marquee is gone. Around 2011, the classic roadside sign was replaced with a much simpler white sign, marking the loss of one more piece of Denver's mid-century roadside character. The motel survives, but one of its most distinctive features does not. 06-26

Rainbow Motel
Denver, CO
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

Check out the rainbow perched above the rooftop sign at Denver's Rainbow Motel. If you're going to name a motel after a rainbow, putting one high above the building seems like a fitting way to let motorists know they've found the place. 11-07

I've always liked roadside displays that make such direct use of a property's name. The rainbow gave this motel an identity of its own and something to distinguish it from more ordinary lodging signs. It's the kind of detail that could prompt a quick stop for a photograph before continuing down the road.

UPDATE: The later history of this particular Rainbow Motel and the fate of its rooftop display remain unconfirmed. This photograph preserves a cheerful example of Denver's roadside advertising. 06-26