Although the building itself looks quite ordinary, the Tiki Motel still sports an interesting marquee. with a neon flame that used to be animated. The motel itself was built in 1940 and was originally known as the Oracle Motel. It became the Tiki Motel in 1963.
Check out the large marquee that stands tall outside the Tucson
Inn, beckoning wayward motorists to check out its huge marquee and its lodging accommodations. The motel was built in 1953.
La Siesta Motel (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the classic roadside sign at the La Siesta Motel along North Oracle Road. With its colorful neon, Southwestern styling, and promise of refrigerated air, the sign must have been a welcome sight after a long drive through the Arizona heat.
Built in 1941, La Siesta was part of Tucson’s prewar motel boom along the future Miracle Mile corridor. Its compact stucco casitas were arranged in the familiar motor-court style, with parking near the rooms and kitchenettes available for longer stays.
The original sign featured playful figures wearing sombreros along with large neon lettering. “La Siesta” was certainly an appropriate name for a place inviting tired travelers to pull off U.S. Highways 80 and 89 for some rest.
La Siesta Motel just prior to closure, June 2010
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The motel eventually closed to nightly travelers and became a long-term residential property. Its old casitas survived as studio apartments, allowing the basic 1940s motor-court layout to remain beside Oracle Road.
UPDATE: After having been restored in 2008 as a part of the city's Oracle Area Revitalization Plan, the La Siesta Motel closed down and filed bankruptcy in July 2010. 07-10
UPDATE: The former La Siesta Motel continues to be used for residential units. Unfortunately, high winds knocked down its primary neon pylon sign in 2024, and the damaged structure was removed. A smaller entrance sign remains, but the restoration plans for the old vertical sign are unknown. 08-26
The El Sol Motel (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
While traveling along North Oracle Road, check out the El Sol Motel and its appropriately sunny roadside sign. With its painted face and rays spreading around the name, there was no mistaking which motel had been reached.
The El Sol was built in 1942, making it a little older than it first appears. Its single-story stucco rooms surround a central parking courtyard in the familiar motor-court style used throughout Tucson’s Miracle Mile district.
The motel and parking lot brings memories of a time I got my rental car stuck on an island in the parking lot while I was making a hasty turn in the hot 110 degree sun. The lot always reminds me to not always be in a hurry such as that day when I was headed towards the East coast. Thanks goodness for Auto Club. As the years go by, it becomes more and more of a good memory. The guys in the motel came out in different stages of dress. They appeared to want to help.
The El Sol Motel office area
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The El Sol is recognized as part of Tucson’s Miracle Mile Historic District. Its little sun sign and old motor-court layout remain reminders of when Oracle Road carried travelers into town on U.S. Highways 80 and 89.
UPDATE: The El Sol Motel has been converted to long-term lodging and is now called the El Sol Apartments. 07-10
UPDATE: The El Sol no longer operates as a traditional overnight motel and has been converted into residential units. Its distinctive sun-shaped roadside sign still stands, although the old neon appears to be dark or missing. 08-26
Google Maps View
Cedar Motel (Rem.)
Snowflake, AZ Photo courtesy Tony Craig
The Cedar Motel has a fine old roadside marquee worthy of Snowflake’s main drag. Its tall pylon and rustic cedar-tree design give this little independent motel considerably more character than a standard plastic highway sign.
The motel stands along Main Street and State Route 77, a busy route through Arizona’s White Mountains region. Its low-rise rooms and parking-at-the-door arrangement follow the familiar layout of a classic roadside motor court.
The original construction date is uncertain, but the Cedar has been serving travelers for decades. Modern conveniences such as Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions have been added without completely erasing its old roadside appearance.
UPDATE: The Cedar Motel remains open as an independent budget lodging property. Its vintage sign was replaced a couple of decades ago. 08-26
The El Sol Motel (Closed)
The El Sol Motel office area
Cedar Motel (Rem.)
