Yucca Motel (Rem.)
Gila Bend
, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Gila Bend was once home to plenty of roadside motels that could turn a traveler’s head. One of them was the Yucca Motel, found near the eastern entrance to the business loop along Pima Street. These photographs show the motel as it appeared in 1999. 11-20
The Yucca stood along old U.S. Route 80 and State Route 85, where travelers passed through town on their way between Phoenix, Tucson, and Southern California. Its location made it one of the first motels encountered when arriving in Gila Bend from the east.
The Palm Inn looks like they reused the Yucca Motel sign
A view of the motel property
Gila Bend, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The property followed the familiar desert motor-court plan, with 21 single-story rooms arranged around a central parking area. Guests could pull off the highway, park near their rooms, and cool down in the outdoor swimming pool after another long drive across the Arizona desert.
By 1999, the Yucca still retained the look of an independent highway motel. Its low buildings, roadside sign, and open parking area were typical of the places that once filled the old Gila Bend business loop before national chains and modern highway lodging began taking over.
The Yucca Motel closed after these photographs were taken, but the property escaped demolition. The rooms were refurbished and the motel reopened as the Palms Inn, keeping the old motor-court layout in business under a more tropical-sounding name.
UPDATE: The Palms Inn remains open with air-conditioned rooms, Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions, and a seasonal swimming pool. The original Yucca Motel sign was removed and replaced with a modern Palms Inn sign, but the old roadside property continues welcoming travelers. 08-26
Google Street View Image
836 E Pima Street
Gila Bend, AZ
Pay Less Inn (Closed)
Gila Bend, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Pay Less Inn had a motel sign that lived up to the name. Back in the day, a room could be had for only $19.95, a price advertised in large numbers for every traveler passing through Gila Bend to see. 11-20
The sign also promised “Refrigeration,” which meant refrigerated air conditioning rather than a refrigerator in every room. In the middle of a Gila Bend summer, that may have been an even better selling point than the low rate.
The Pay Less stood along East Pima Street and old U.S. Route 80, only a short distance from the Space Age Lodge. Its simple single-story rooms followed the classic park-at-your-door motor-court layout.
UPDATE : The Pay Less Inn is no longer here. There is another motel here now. 06-23
UPDATE: The Pay Less Inn is no longer here. The original sign was removed and the surviving motel property was renovated and reopened under another name. 06-23
Belle Aire Motel
Globe,
AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Belle Aire Motel is an old roadside stop on the northern edge of Globe. Its tall sign has the flowing script and weathered character of another era, and it has changed remarkably little since these photographs were taken. 09-21
The motel traces its history back to 1934, when Globe’s copper mines and highway traffic kept a steady stream of workers and travelers moving through town. Its location along U.S. Route 60 made it a convenient stop for anyone heading between the Valley and Arizona’s mountain mining communities.
The Belle-Aire follows the familiar roadside plan, with single-story rooms facing a large central parking area. There is enough open pavement for trucks and RVs, making the place useful for more than just the average passing automobile.
New owners acquired the property in 2013 and later began renovating the rooms. Carpeting was replaced with wood-style flooring, the exterior received fresh paint, and modern conveniences such as Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions were added without completely changing the old motor-court layout.
UPDATE: The Belle-Aire Motel remains open as an independent budget lodging property. Its vintage roadside sign also survives along U.S. Route 60, still showing off much of the same old-fashioned flair seen here. 08-26
El Rancho Motel
Globe
AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
On the eastern edge of Globe is the El Rancho Motel, a cool old roadside stop with a neon sign that really knew how to advertise the essentials. Back in the 1990s, its glowing panels proudly offered “Color TV” and “Refrigeration” to anyone passing through the Arizona heat. 09-21
The motel sits along East Ash Street, part of the old U.S. Highways 60 and 70 route through Globe. Its single-story rooms and parking spaces near the doors follow the familiar layout of a postwar motor court.
Vintage postcards advertised the El Rancho as being at the east city limits of Globe. During its better-known years, the motel earned recommendations from AAA, Best Western Motels, and even Duncan Hines. Long before his name became familiar on cake-mix boxes, Hines was a respected travel writer whose lodging and restaurant recommendations carried plenty of weight.
UPDATE: The El Rancho Motel remains open as an independent roadside motel. Its tall vintage sign also survives, although some of the old amenity panels and lettering have been changed over the years. 08-26
El Rey Motel
Globe, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Just down the road from the El Rancho is another fine old Globe motel sign. The El Rey Motel marquee looked especially good around dusk, when its neon began glowing against the fading Arizona sky. 09-21
The motel opened in 1938 as the El Rey Hotel Court along what became the combined U.S. Highways 60 and 70 corridor. Its original roadside sign was different from the tall mid-century version seen here, which was probably installed during the 1950s.
The El Rey grew into a 24-room motor court with low buildings, carports, and parking close to the rooms. Vintage postcards promoted air conditioning, wall-to-wall carpeting, and private patios, all welcome comforts after a long drive through the desert.
El Rey Motel
Globe, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Arizona sunlight can be pretty rough on old painted signs, but the El Rey received a much-needed restoration around 2012. Fresh paint and working neon brought the old marquee back to life, making it one of the more colorful survivors along the highway through Globe.
UPDATE: The El Rey Motel remains open along East Ash Street, and its restored roadside sign is still standing. More recent sign surveys indicate that some or all of the neon has since gone dark or been removed, so the nighttime glow captured here may have disappeared once again. 08-26
A view of the motel property
El Rey Motel
El Rey Motel
