Riviera Motel
Tucson, AZ Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The sweeping neon sign at the Riviera Motor Lodge is one of those great roadside sights that can make a drive down Tucson’s Miracle Mile worthwhile. With its bright red script, cool blue-green panels, and long streamlined shape, the sign looks ready to point travelers straight back to the 1950s. 09-08
The Riviera was built in 1953, although its roadside marquee reportedly dates to 1952. The sign may have been installed while the motel was still being completed, getting the name out in front of passing motorists before the first guests checked into their rooms.
This part of Tucson was once a busy entrance into town for travelers following U.S. Routes 80 and 89. Motels, restaurants, gas stations, and neon signs crowded the roadway, each one trying to catch the attention of motorists before the next place did. The Riviera’s large cursive lettering and streamlined panels must have looked especially sharp after dark.
Riviera Motor Lodge
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The motel followed the familiar motor-court plan of the period, offering travelers a convenient place to park near their rooms and rest before continuing across Arizona. With only 28 rooms, it was considerably smaller than some of the sprawling resorts farther down the strip, but that wonderful sign gave it a much larger roadside presence. 04-09
Many Tucson motel signs disappeared over the years as businesses closed, properties were redeveloped, and the city’s sign regulations encouraged older marquees to be removed. The Riviera sign managed to survive. It was eventually refurbished and restored with working neon, returning its red lettering and blue-green panels to the night.
The Riviera Motor Lodge was sold to new owners in March 2023, with plans to continue operating the property as budget or extended-stay lodging. While the rooms have seen changes over the decades, the low-rise motel and its unmistakable roadside centerpiece remain part of the old Miracle Mile landscape.
Riviera Motor Lodge close up
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE : The motel was sold in March 2023 and will be converted to an extended stay hotel. motel is located along a historical corridor known as the Miracle Mile which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hopefully the sign was be retained. 06-23
UPDATE: The Riviera Motor Lodge remains open, and its restored Streamline Moderne sign continues to glow along Miracle Mile. After more than 70 years beside the road, the Riviera is one of the fortunate Tucson motels where both the lodging property and its great neon marquee have survived. 08-26
Oasis Court (Closed)
Benson, AZ Photo courtesy Larry Glass
The Oasis Court sign proudly identifies this little Benson landmark as the “Benson Historical Auto Court.” That is a fitting description for a roadside complex that began welcoming early motorists back in 1928. 04-09
The Pueblo Revival cottages were built along the old U.S. Route 80 corridor through the San Pedro Valley. Individual carports were placed between the rooms, allowing travelers to park immediately beside their accommodations. It was an early version of the drive-up motel plan that would soon appear along highways throughout the country.
The Oasis also operated a roadside gift shop offering Native American and Mexican crafts. A room for the night, sheltered parking, and a few Southwestern souvenirs made it a convenient stop for travelers passing through Benson.
The property was eventually converted into apartments, but the original cottages, flat rooflines, stucco walls, and integrated carports survived. In 1994, the Oasis Court was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its importance to early automobile travel.
UPDATE: The Oasis Court sign is still here. The motel appears to have been converted to apartments. 04-17
UPDATE: The Oasis Court remains in residential use as apartments. Its historic roadside sign still stands out front, continuing to mark one of Benson’s best-preserved early auto courts. 08-26
Grand Canyon Motel
Fredonia, AZ Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The Grand Canyon Motel has a fine old marquee welcoming travelers into the small border town of Fredonia. Sitting near the Arizona and Utah state line, the motel is well positioned for road trips between the Grand Canyon’s North Rim and Zion National Park. 06-09
The property reportedly traces its roots to the 1920s, when simple cabins were built for hunters and other visitors traveling through northern Arizona. It later grew into a motor court with kitchenettes and individual rustic cabins arranged around a tree-lined courtyard.
Fredonia sits at the meeting of Route 89A and Highway 389, about 89 miles from the North Rim and 48 miles from Zion. That makes the motel a convenient stopping place for travelers exploring some very big scenery in either direction.
UPDATE: The Grand Canyon Motel remains open and is also advertised as the Grand Canyon Cabin. Its old roadside marquee survives along Main Street, continuing to welcome travelers near the Arizona-Utah border. 08-26
Ship Rock Motel (Gone)
Fredonia, AZ Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The Ship Rock Motel featured a roadside marquee shaped to resemble a jagged rock formation. It was a clever bit of sign design that gave this small Fredonia motel its own identity along the highway. 06-09
The motel stood on U.S. Route 89A, the old road connecting northern Arizona with the Grand Canyon’s North Rim and the national parks of southern Utah. Its low-rise rooms once provided a simple overnight stop near the Arizona-Utah border.
By 2009, the motel appeared to have moved away from overnight lodging and was being used as permanent housing. The rooms later fell into further decline, and the property was eventually vacated and condemned.
UPDATE: The Ship Rock Motel is closed and abandoned and the sign is gone. 08-26
Wayward Winds Lodge (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Wayward Winds Motel featured the kind of old motel sign that was once commonplace along Tucson’s Miracle Mile. Its tall pylon, giant saguaro cactus, and sweeping motel name gave travelers a proper Arizona welcome, although the original neon lettering had been replaced with painted letters by the time of this visit. 11-09
Built in 1958, the Wayward Winds operated during the glory years of Tucson’s roadside motel strip. Its 39 single-story units followed the familiar motor-court plan, allowing travelers to park near their rooms after a long drive across the desert.
The saguaro sign was the best part. Rather than simply placing a cactus picture on the sign, its designers made the cactus part of the entire structure. Even after the neon disappeared, the distinctive shape remained recognizable beside the road.
The motel eventually stopped accepting overnight travelers and was purchased by the Gospel Rescue Mission. Instead of demolishing the old motor court, the organization converted its rooms into transitional housing for women and children.
Wayward Winds Lodge (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: The Wayward Winds Motel is no longer a motel as it's being converted into a women's shelter. Many thanks to Richard Moeur for update. 11-09
UPDATE: The former Wayward Winds Lodge remains in use as a shelter rather than a motel. Its wonderful cactus marquee was later refurbished and fitted once again with working neon, restoring an important piece of the old Miracle Mile landscape. 08-26
Riviera Motor Lodge
Riviera Motor Lodge close up
Oasis Court (Closed)
Ship Rock Motel (Gone)
