Eagle's Nest Court (Demolished)
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Eagle’s Nest Court once featured a fine roadside marquee with a large eagle spreading its wings across the sign. It was the kind of simple, memorable image that could catch a motorist’s attention from well down the highway. 06-23

The court operated during Tucson’s golden era of independent motor travel, when signs crowded Miracle Mile, Oracle Road, and Benson Highway. Each little motel needed its own name, colors, and mascot to compete for the night’s travelers.

The eagle gave this place an identity that was easy to understand at a glance. No complicated message was needed. There was the motel name, a proud bird perched on the sign, and presumably a room waiting somewhere behind it.

Eagle's Nest Court (Gone)
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

By the time these photographs were added to RoadsidePeek, the sign had already been gone for some time. Unfortunately, the exact location of the Eagle’s Nest has also been lost, making its history difficult to trace through old directories or modern maps.

UPDATE: The Eagle’s Nest Court was demolished and its roadside sign removed many years ago. It is unknown whether the eagle panel was saved or disappeared along with the motel, leaving these photographs as the best surviving look at another lost Tucson motor court. 08-26

Downtown Motor Hotel sign close up (Rem.)
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Downtown Motor Hotel had one of those wonderfully straightforward names that once appeared in cities all across the country. Its towering neon sign promised “Air Conditioned” rooms and “Reasonable Rates,” while pointing travelers toward a place to stay in the middle of Tucson. 06-23

The motel was built in 1941 and designed by noted Tucson architect Josias Joesler. Unlike the motor courts lining Miracle Mile and Benson Highway, this one invited travelers directly into the downtown area.

Old advertisements called it “The only motor hotel in the heart of the city.” That was a useful selling point for guests who wanted parking near their rooms without staying out on one of the highway strips. The original 1941 sign was replaced in 1953 by the large double-sided neon marquee seen here. Its stacked lettering, arrow, and practical promises of air conditioning and reasonable rates made it a fine piece of downtown roadside advertising.

Back in 2014, there were plans to demolish the motel to build a four-story apartment building for homeless veterans.

Downtown Motor Hotel
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

After years of changes and neglect, the motel became vacant and suffered from fire damage and roof leaks. In 2014, plans were announced to replace it with a four-story affordable housing development. Preservationists objected to losing the Joesler-designed buildings, but much of the original motel had already been heavily altered.

Most of the old room blocks were demolished. Fortunately, the front office facade, entryway, and 1953 neon sign were saved and incorporated into the new development.

Indeed, the motel building was demolished and replaced with a new structure. The facade and sign were preserved.

UPDATE: The property now operates as the 42-unit Downtown Motor Apartments, providing affordable and supportive housing primarily for low-income and formerly homeless veterans. The old facade and restored neon sign remain along Stone Avenue, preserving the motel’s most recognizable pieces in front of the modern building. 08-26

RegaLodge Motel (Rem.)
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The RegaLodge Motel, often written as the Regal Lodge, still stands along Yuma’s old 4th Avenue motel strip. Its vintage roadside sign has also survived, although the panels and lettering have changed several times over the years. 06-23

Fourth Avenue was once Yuma’s main route for highway travelers, with independent motels, restaurants, and colorful signs lining the road. The RegaLodge was conveniently located near downtown, allowing guests to leave the highway and quickly find a room for the night.

The motel retains its compact mid-century layout, with 26 low-rise rooms arranged around a parking area and outdoor swimming pool. A tall brick wall provides some separation from the traffic along 4th Avenue.

The RegaLodge eventually gave up its independent identity and went through a series of corporate changes. The old sign frame was reused each time, receiving new panels rather than being completely removed.

Left another view of the motel
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Although it was once identified as an OYO Hotel, that name belongs to other properties along the same Yuma strip. The former RegaLodge currently operates as the Rodeway Inn Yuma Downtown.

UPDATE: The motel remains open with air-conditioned rooms, Wi-Fi, and a year-round swimming pool. Its altered marquee still stands on 4th Avenue, although the original RegaLodge lettering and roadside character are gone. 08-26

Royal Motor Inn
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Royal Motor Inn remains open along Yuma’s South 4th Avenue. Its incredibly tall roadside sign has also survived, greeting passing drivers with a stack of colorful letters that can be seen from well down the road. 06-23

Built in 1967 as the Royal Inn Motor Hotel, the property belonged to the Royal Inns of America chain. The company had been founded in San Diego only a year earlier and was rapidly expanding across the West.

The motel combined Googie architecture with a touch of Polynesian style. Its high-pitched decorative rooflines and two-story exterior corridors gave the property a much more dramatic appearance than the average roadside motor court.

A Sambo’s Restaurant originally stood beside the hotel, creating a convenient food-and-lodging stop for travelers. Guests could pull off the highway, find dinner, spend the night, and cool down in the outdoor swimming pool before getting back on the road.

Here is a postcard of the Royal Motor Inn from back in time
Yuma, AZ
Postcard courtesy Chet Wilson

The postcard shows the Royal during its chain-hotel years, when the architecture, restaurant, pool, and towering sign were all part of one modern roadside complex. The motel later became independent and changed names slightly to the Royal Motor Inn.

UPDATE: The Royal Motor Inn remains open with air-conditioned rooms, Wi-Fi, truck parking, and an outdoor swimming pool. Its towering sign structure and colorful letter panels also survive, although some of the original Royal Inns branding and neon details have been altered. 08-26