Phoenix Sunrise Motel
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Phoenix Sunrise Motel had a decent roadside sign and a low motel building that fit naturally along East Van Buren Street. Unfortunately, the property has lost some of the character seen in these earlier views. The name still sounds inviting, even when the old paint has seen a few too many sunrises. 11-20

Van Buren once offered travelers a long procession of motor courts, cafes, swimming pools, and glowing vacancy signs. The Phoenix Sunrise occupied the eastern stretch near Sky Harbor Airport, giving it a useful location after freeways drew much of the cross-country traffic away.

Phoenix Sunrise Motel
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The motel retains the familiar arrangement of exterior entrances and parking close to the rooms. Repainting and replacement panels have simplified the roadside marquee over the years. Its framework remains, but much of the earlier lettering and neon character has disappeared beneath the updates.

UPDATE: The Phoenix Sunrise remains listed as an independent economy motel. Its buildings and altered roadside sign survive along Van Buren, recalling the strip’s older lodging business. The appearance has changed, but this little motor court has managed to outlast plenty of its former neighbors. 11-26

Plaza Motel and Apartments (Demolished)
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the weathered sign for the Plaza Motel and Apartments along West Van Buren Street in Phoenix. Its faded paint and lettering looked as though they had endured plenty of Arizona summers. No artificially distressed finish needed here. This old marquee had earned its roadside wrinkles. 11-20

The Plaza name was already appearing in Phoenix directories by 1959. Earlier listings identify the same location as Lazy S Lodge in 1950, giving the property another chapter before the sign seen here. Changing names was fairly common along Van Buren, where motor courts tried to keep attracting travelers as newer accommodations opened nearby.

Plaza Motel and Apartments
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Offering both motel rooms and apartments allowed the Plaza to serve overnight motorists and people settling in longer. Van Buren carried several numbered highways through Phoenix, putting these little lodging businesses directly in the path of cross-country traffic. A furnished room and convenient parking could serve a family vacation or a stay lasting several weeks.

UPDATE: The Plaza no longer appears under its old motel name, but demolition has not been confirmed. Its later identity and the fate of the faded sign remain uncertain. At least these photographs preserve its familiar roadside appearance, while the old directory listings put this once-elusive stop back on Van Buren. 11-26

Thunderbird Apartments (Gone)
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Thunderbird Apartments featured a fine old roadside sign with a stylized thunderbird and a panel proudly advertising “COLOR TV.” That was once a pretty important amenity, even if it seems about as ordinary as running water today. 11-20

The sign had the look of a classic Southwestern motel marquee, with bold lettering, a regional name, and enough colorful decoration to catch the attention of anyone passing in a car. The little “COLOR TV” panel helps place it in the years when motel owners regularly used their signs to advertise every new convenience.

Although called apartments, the property may have started as a motor court or offered a mixture of short-term and long-term furnished rentals. That kind of arrangement became common as older Phoenix motels lost their cross-country tourist traffic and began renting rooms by the week or month.

The thunderbird was a popular Southwestern symbol and appeared on everything from motels and restaurants to gas stations and bowling alleys. Here it gave an otherwise ordinary apartment complex a strong roadside identity and probably looked even better when the sign was illuminated after dark.

Thunderbird Motel Postcard
Phoenix, AZ
Postcard courtesy Chet Wilson

Unfortunately, the exact Phoenix address has been lost, making the property difficult to follow through modern maps and real estate records. Several newer apartment complexes in the city use the Thunderbird name, but none can be confidently connected to the place shown in this photograph.

UPDATE: The original Thunderbird Apartments have not been identified at any surviving Phoenix location. The property was likely demolished, renamed, or remodeled beyond recognition, while its colorful sign is presumed removed. Until an old directory or address turns up, the final chapter of the Thunderbird remains another Phoenix roadside mystery. 08-26

Travel Inn 9 Motel (Closed)
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Travel Inn 9 Motel had the unmistakable look of a former Imperial 400. Its two-story room block and dramatic gull-wing roof over the lobby were hallmarks of the once-familiar motel chain. 11-20

The property was built in 1960 and opened the following year as Phoenix’s Imperial 400 Motel. It was reportedly the 23rd location in the fast-growing chain, which had been founded only a few years earlier and was opening new motels across the country at a remarkable pace.

Imperial 400 used bold modern architecture to make its properties recognizable from the highway. The raised butterfly or gull-wing roof made the lobby look as though it were preparing to take flight, while the two-story exterior corridors provided plenty of rooms without requiring a large parcel of downtown land.

Travel Inn 9 Motel
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The motel became a Friendship Inn in 1972. In 1986, it changed names again and operated as the Travel Inn and Travel Inn 9. The reason for the mysterious “9” on the sign remains uncertain, but it gave the motel one more unusual bit of roadside character.

Around 2004, the property returned to the Friendship Inn name. The original roadside sign structure was reused through the various changes, with new lettering and panels placed over the earlier Imperial 400 and Travel Inn identities.

UPDATE: The motel was not demolished and remains open as the Friendship Inn Motel. Its original 1961 buildings, two-story exterior corridors, and soaring gull-wing lobby roof survive, making it one of downtown Phoenix’s better-preserved examples of Imperial 400 architecture. 08-26