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Prescott Valley Motel (Demolished)
Prescott, AZ
Photo courtesy Chris Erias

Check out the sweeping red arrow on the Prescott Valley Motel sign. Sharp angles, bright colors, and a towering roadside profile gave motorists along Highway 69 plenty to look at. This was one marquee that did not need a flashing electronic screen to get attention.

Opened during the 1960s, the motel predated Prescott Valley’s incorporation and became one of its familiar highway landmarks. The adjoining Y-Not Lounge offered guests somewhere to have a drink after checking in. The motel closed in 2018, and the buildings were demolished the following year for a Circle K.

UPDATE: The huge sign for the Prescott Valley Motel or also known as the PV motel was taken down on 4/1/2020. The motel closed after 50 years in business in 2018. In the fall of 2019, the motel structure and the Y-Note Lounge were demolished. Circle K bought up the property despite having a location nearby and will build over the site. Fortunately the sign was preserved after being dismantled with hopes it will be restored and set back up in the community in the future. A spotlight will be made on this motel and sign in the near future. A visit here in the Spring of 2019 turned out the be the last time I got to see the sign intact on its original site. This is truly a loss of an icon. 05-20

UPDATE: The huge Prescott Valley Motel sign was removed by crane on April 1, 2020. It was dismantled and moved into private storage for eventual restoration rather than being sent to the scrapyard. 05-20

UPDATE: The huge sign was dismantled by crane on April 1, 2020, after local preservationists arranged its rescue. It went into storage for possible restoration rather than joining the motel in the rubble. The original site now serves gasoline and convenience-store snacks, but thankfully the old arrow survived the change. 11-26

Quarter Horse Motel Benson, AZ Photo courtesy Larry Glass Check out the cowboy and horse above the Quarter Horse Motel & RV Park in Benson. Mounted directly on the roof, the neon scene gave travelers something much more interesting than an ordinary vacancy panel. Apparently, this fellow preferred keeping his horse above the parking lot. The motor court dates to the 1940s, with a July 1949 photograph documenting its early appearance. Its rooftop sign has also been around since at least that year. Old postcards placed the motel on Highway 80, six blocks west of Benson, back when this end of town offered considerably more open space. US 80 brought cross-country motorists through Benson before Interstate 10 moved much of the traffic away. The Quarter Horse adapted by combining motel accommodations with an RV park, keeping a place for travelers arriving in something larger than the family sedan. The Western name and rooftop scene remained a fitting match for the surrounding ranch country. Check out the cowboy character on this sign on the rooftop of the motel that was built in 1949.   Quarter Horse Motel Benson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com UPDATE: The Quarter Horse Motel in Benson, AZ, just south of Tucson, has had its sign repainted in recent years. The "quarter horse" on the marquee still rears its head proudly off the Arizona roadside. 04-09 UPDATE : Here are more photos of the Quarter Horse Motel. 06-23 UPDATE: The Quarter Horse continues welcoming travelers along Fourth Street with motel rooms and RV accommodations. Its distinctive cowboy-and-horse marquee survives, preserving one of Benson’s best old roadside sights. The vehicles below have changed quite a bit since 1949, but the fellow on the roof has managed to keep his original transportation. 11-26   Quarter Horse Motel Benson, AZ Photo courtesy Devil Doll Quarter Horse Motel Benson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Amazon Motel Tucson, AZ Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf Check out the stacked lettering and red balls atop the Amazon Motel sign along Tucson’s Miracle Mile. The name offered something different among the strip’s many desert and Western themes. No rainforest here, but the old marquee certainly knew how to attract attention. 06-23 The motel served highway travelers before Tucson’s interstate hotels captured much of the overnight business. The city purchased it in 2023 and initially used the rooms as emergency shelter. Renovations then converted the former accommodations into 30 permanent supportive apartments, retaining the historic property rather than clearing it. UPDATE : Here are more photos of the Amazon Motel. The sign itself has changed slightly over the past few decades. I've had more than my share of encounters taking photos here, especially at night. 06-23 UPDATE: The converted Amazon opened in September 2025, and its landmark sign remains part of the property. Construction began in 2026 on the neighboring Amazon Flats development, adding 59 affordable one-bedroom apartments. The old motel now provides homes instead of overnight stops, giving this piece of Miracle Mile another useful chapter. 11-26 The sign which lights up in neon appears to date back from the 1950's or 60's.   Amazon Motel - 1999 view along the Miracle Mile Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com Amazon Motel sign close up Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com Google Maps View