Terrace Motel
Tucson, AZ Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf
Travel down Tucson’s Miracle Mile, and no, this is not Wilshire Boulevard, and you will come across the Terrace Motel. Instead of placing its name on a separate roadside pole sign, the large letters stretch directly across the front terrace canopy.
Built in 1954, the Terrace arrived during the later years of Tucson’s motel boom. Miracle Mile and the surrounding highway loop carried travelers into town on old U.S. Routes 80 and 89, creating a long strip of motor courts, restaurants, gas stations, and glowing neon signs.
The motel office has some nice mid-century roadside touches. A broad flat roof projects over the entrance, while a hefty angled pillar holds up one corner. The pillar and canopy gave the office a much more interesting profile than the ordinary box-shaped motel buildings found along many highways.
Here are more photos of the Terrace Motel from 25 years ago.
Terrace Motel
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The name across the terrace was also a clever way to make the building advertise itself. Motorists did not have to search for a separate marquee to find the entrance. Just look for the big “Terrace Motel” letters spanning the office and pull into the parking lot.
Old advertising postcards show the motel during its more glamorous years. Palm trees surrounded the swimming pool as guests relaxed with the Tucson mountains in the distance. The postcards also promoted the Terrace as AAA approved, an important endorsement when travelers had dozens of unknown roadside motels from which to choose.
Terrace Motel
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The motel is now considered a contributing property in Tucson’s Miracle Mile Historic District. That recognition includes its low-rise motor-court layout and the distinctive office canopy that continues to face the old highway.
A small fire broke out in a detached laundry building on the property in March 2024. Tucson firefighters contained it before the flames could spread to the historic guest-room wings or the office, leaving the motel’s most recognizable features intact.
UPDATE: The Terrace Motel remains open as an independent budget motel. Its unusual canopy sign, office entrance, and angled pillar still survive along Miracle Mile, although much of the original neon and vintage sign detailing has been altered or no longer lights. 08-26
Se-Tay Motel (Gone)
Casa Grande, CA Photos courtesy Elgin MacMillan
The Se-Tay Motel and its classic roadside marquee once greeted travelers along Pinal Avenue in Casa Grande, Arizona. During a 2006 visit, the man at the front desk said the motel had been built around 1951 or 1952 and might be the oldest motel in town. 12-06
Property records place its construction a little earlier, around 1949. The 13-room motor court advertised that its rooms were “cooled by refrigeration,” a pretty important luxury for anyone spending the night in the Arizona desert.
The unusual Se-Tay name came from original owner Yates, who simply spelled his last name backward. Y-A-T-E-S became S-E-T-A-Y, creating one of the more unusual motel names found along the Arizona highways.
Turns out the motel was built in 1949 by the original owner named Yates. Read Yates backwards and see what that spells.
Se-Tay Motel (Gone)
Casa Grande, CA Photos courtesy Elgin MacMillan
Although it was sometimes called Casa Grande’s oldest motel, the earlier Horse Shoe Lodge reportedly dated to 1943. The Se-Tay was still one of the town’s longest-surviving motor courts, complete with its low roadside buildings and colorful neon marquee.
UPDATE: The sign has been painted over completely as seen in Fall 2020. It was a shame to see this vintage sign gone, especially after the City of Casa Grande has been making efforts on a neon sign park recently. 11-20
UPDATE : The sign was painted blue with palm trees and an American flag on site. 06-23
UPDATE: The Se-Tay Motel remains open, but its vintage neon sign is gone. In late 2020, the original marquee was stripped of its neon and painted blue with palm trees and an American flag, removing much of the roadside character seen in these photographs. 08-26
The Arizonan Motel (Gone)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Arizonan Motel stood near the edge of Tucson’s Miracle Mile as the road approached Oracle Road. Its enormous roadside sign prominently advertised “Kitchenettes” and daily and weekly rates, but the most interesting feature was the sign itself, cut into the shape of Arizona. 06-23
The motel and sign opened in 1951 as the Canyon State Motor Lodge. Old postcards advertised 14 or 15 rooms, seven kitchenettes, televisions, shuffleboard, and a heated swimming pool. It was a complete little desert stop for travelers entering Tucson before Interstate 10.
During the 1970s, the property became the Arizonan Motel and the wording on the state-shaped marquee was changed. The kitchenettes and weekly rates became increasingly important as the old Miracle Mile shifted away from conventional tourist traffic.
The motel eventually closed and was demolished, but the sign’s story was not over. In 2010, the property owner reportedly notched its base with a blowtorch and used a backhoe to pull the giant structure down like a tree. The impact bent the steel frame, and the sign disappeared from the property.
A view of The Arizonan Motel look out along the Miracle Mile
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation later tracked down the damaged sign and rescued it. Craftsmen repaired the frame, restored the neon, and came up with a clever way to preserve both chapters of its history.
One face now reads Canyon State Motor Lodge, while the other displays The Arizonan Motel. Depending on which direction you approach it, the same sign tells a different part of the story.
UPDATE: The Arizonan Motel buildings are gone, but the restored sign stands along the Drachman Street Neon Sign Walk near Pima Community College. Relit alongside several other rescued Tucson signs, the giant Arizona-shaped marquee has found a much happier ending than the motel it once advertised. 08-26
El Sahuaro Motel (Gone)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The El Sahuaro Motel had already been converted into apartments when these photographs were taken. Its low motor-court buildings survived along Flores Street, while the old roadside sign still recalled the days when travelers checked in for the night. 06-23
Opened in 1947, the El Sahuaro stood one block away from Tucson’s busy Miracle Mile. That slight separation gave guests a little distance from the highway noise while keeping the motel close to U.S. Routes 80, 84, and 89.
John and Ludwina Scherman operated the property for about 25 years. Like many Tucson motels, it used a Spanish name and desert imagery to create a suitably Southwestern identity for winter visitors and cross-country travelers.
After Interstate 10 bypassed the old highway strip, the El Sahuaro gradually moved away from overnight tourism. Its rooms became monthly efficiencies and permanent apartments, allowing the original motel buildings to remain occupied.
The sign eventually disappeared from Flores Street, but it was not destroyed. Preservationists rescued the weathered 1947 structure, carefully removed layers of later paint, and restored its original colors and neon.
UPDATE: The former El Sahuaro Motel remains in residential use as the El Sahuaro Apartments. Its restored sign is now preserved and displayed at Tucson’s Ignite Sign Art Museum, where the old motel name glows again. 08-26
Terrace Motel
Terrace Motel
Terrace Motel
Se-Tay Motel (Gone)
Se-Tay Motel (Gone)
The Arizonan Motel (Gone)
A view of The Arizonan Motel look out along the Miracle Mile
El Sahuaro Motel (Gone)
