Silver Queen Motel (Rem.)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The bright green-and-yellow sign for the Silver Queen Motel was hard to miss when exiting Interstate 40 into Kingman. Its glowing panels advertised rooms for $24.95, a tempting offer after hours of driving with tired, dry eyes. On this particular evening, however, a stop at the nearby Arby’s did the trick, and it was back onto the highway for a few more hours. 09-21
The Silver Queen was a large 145-room motel with exterior corridors, a central swimming pool, and plenty of parking. At night, its colorful sign helped draw travelers from the interstate onto old Route 66.
The property later became a Knights Inn, and its distinctive marquee was covered with the chain’s red, white, and blue shield. This made it appear that the Silver Queen had disappeared, but the motel buildings remained in use.
The property eventually left the Knights Inn chain and returned to an independent name as the Silver Queen Inn. The original green-and-yellow sign design is gone, but the large roadside structure remains.
UPDATE: The Silver Queen Inn remains open. The motel and sign were never demolished, although the marquee has been altered several times. 09-26
Aztec Motel
Seligman,
AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Across Route 66 from the Snow Cap Drive-In, the Aztec Motel adds another splash of color to Seligman with its large sign and painted murals. 09-21
The oldest adobe building was constructed in 1915 by Juan and Pancha Delgadillo, more than a decade before Route 66 existed. Juan was an uncle of Angel Delgadillo and Snow Cap founder Juan Delgadillo. A motel wing was added in 1955 during the postwar travel boom.
New owners later spent two years remodeling the property into the Aztec Motel & Creative Space. Six retro guest rooms are joined by a communal lounge inside the original adobe building.
UPDATE: The Aztec Motel remains open with its historic buildings, colorful murals, and roadside sign refreshed for a new generation of Route 66 travelers. 09-26
Highlander Motel
Flagstaff, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
At the west end of Williams, the Highlander Motel still welcomes Route 66 travelers beneath its glowing roadside sign. The little brick motor court opened in 1953 with just 11 rooms, each arranged in that familiar old highway style with parking directly outside the door. 09-21
The Highlander arrived during the postwar travel boom, when families were heading west and roadside motels competed for attention with colorful neon. Its sign still does the job after dark, lighting up nicely against the northern Arizona night.
The motel sits within walking distance of downtown Williams and the historic depot, where the Grand Canyon Railway carries visitors north toward the canyon. It also survived the arrival of Interstate 40, which bypassed Williams in 1984 and made it the last Route 66 town to be removed from the old highway.
Highlander Motel
Flagstaff, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Plenty of similar motor courts have disappeared or lost their signs over the years. The Highlander remains refreshingly simple, with its original roadside footprint, small collection of rooms, and glowing marquee still serving travelers.
UPDATE: The Highlander Motel remains open in Williams, not Flagstaff, and its vintage neon sign continues to glow along Route 66. 09-26
Siesta Motel (Closed)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Travel through Kingman and the colorful sign outside the Siesta Motel is difficult to miss. Its stacked panels, bright colors, and Southwestern styling made a fitting match for the low roadside buildings. The name itself promised exactly what a tired Route 66 traveler wanted: a quiet desert nap.
The oldest section of the motor court dates to 1929, only three years after Route 66 was officially established. Those early rooms were built with “giraffe stone,” a local style using irregular pieces of native fieldstone surrounded by wide, light-colored mortar joints. The pattern does look a little like the markings on a giraffe once somebody points it out.
The property grew with the highway. During the 1950s travel boom, new rooms and a concrete-block office were added to the east side of the court. The different construction styles make the motel something of a small Route 66 timeline, with the stone cabins representing the early automobile era and the later wing showing the postwar rush.
Siesta Motel
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Travelers pulled directly off Andy Devine Avenue for a room or kitchenette, parking close to their doors in traditional motor-court fashion. The motel eventually stopped accepting overnight guests and was converted into 14 small studio apartments, each measuring less than 300 square feet.
The colorful roadside sign still stands, but the original neon tubing has disappeared and the panels have become weathered. The property is now correctly known as the Siesta Apartments, not the Sierra Apartments. The old Route 66 motel is no longer taking travelers, but at least the buildings and sign have found a way to remain beside the road.
UPDATE: The former Siesta Motel remains in use as the Siesta Apartments. Its vintage roadside sign survives in altered and weathered condition, but the neon is gone. 09-26
Royal Motel (Closed)
Winslow,
AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The big star atop the Royal Motel sign gave westbound Route 66 travelers a bright target as they crossed Winslow. The property stretched across an entire block, with entrances facing both sides of the city’s divided highway.
The motel began during the early 1960s as an Imperial “400,” part of a national chain known for its distinctive roadside architecture. The office featured the company’s trademark butterfly-shaped roof, while advertisements promised “Royal Accommodations at Thrifty Rates.” A mascot called Thrifty Bear helped deliver the message.
When the Imperial 400 chain ran into financial trouble, the Winslow property became an independent motel. The new owners borrowed the “Royal Accommodations” idea and renamed it the Royal Motel, adding the large star to the top of the sign. That was a clever way to create a new identity without completely leaving the old one behind.
Royal Motel
Winslow, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The motel’s unusual block-long layout was designed around Winslow’s paired Route 66 streets. The office and sign faced westbound traffic on 3rd Street, while the two-story room wing also greeted eastbound motorists along 2nd Street. A heated swimming pool once occupied the grounds, but it was later filled and paved over.
The Royal eventually stopped offering overnight rooms and was converted into the College View Apartments. The motel buildings and butterfly-roof office survive, but the star-topped Royal sign has been heavily altered and rebranded for residential use.
UPDATE: The former Royal Motel remains standing as the College View Apartments. Its Imperial 400 architecture can still be recognized, but the original Royal Motel sign configuration is gone. 09-26
Silver Queen Motel (Rem.)
The bright green-and-yellow sign for the Silver Queen Motel was hard to miss when exiting Interstate 40 into Kingman. Its glowing panels advertised rooms for $24.95, a tempting offer after hours of driving with tired, dry eyes. On this particular evening, however, a stop at the nearby Arby’s did the trick, and it was back onto the highway for a few more hours. 09-21
Aztec Motel
Highlander Motel
Highlander Motel
Siesta Motel (Closed)
Siesta Motel
Royal Motel
