Madonna Inn
San Luis Obispo, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
Here's a rather famous inn located in San Luis Obispo. Ordinarily, the big pink-and-blue sign for the Madonna Inn sits beside Highway 101, welcoming travelers with its neon horse and carriage. On this visit, though, the marquee was nowhere near its usual roadside perch.
A missing old sign can be a worrying sight. Sometimes it means a plain plastic replacement is on the way, and another familiar piece of the road has disappeared. Fortunately, that wasn't the story here. The Madonna Inn sign was found lying safely in the parking lot, fully restored and waiting to be returned to its familiar spot. Now that's a much happier discovery.
Sometimes a missing marquee means a new plastic backlit sign is coming
soon. Fortunately in this case, the sign itself was located in the parking
lot, fully restored!
Madonna Inn marquee
San Luis Obispo, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
Alex and Phyllis Madonna opened the inn on Christmas Eve in 1958. What began with 12 rooms grew into a famously colorful resort with 109 individually themed rooms. Between the Caveman Room, waterfalls, enormous boulders, pink dining rooms, and pink champagne cake, there isn't much chance of mistaking this place for an ordinary highway motel.
UPDATE: The restored Madonna Inn marquee was returned to its roadside location and continues to welcome Highway 101 travelers. The inn remains open, with its themed rooms, restaurants, bakery, and plenty of pink still going strong. 09-26
Mom's Motel (Gone)
Tulare, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
With a name like Mom's Motel, the place must have been good. Not sure about the lodging, but the sign itself was real nice. Check out the sweeping arrow and space-age starbursts on this weathered Highway 99 marquee. Now all that's missing is baseball and apple pie.
The property originally operated as the Sky Ranch Motel, a fitting name for a place near Tulare's Mefford Field Airport. Later owners changed the name to Mom's Motel, but kept the wonderfully over-the-top Googie sign. Apparently Mom was willing to embrace a little Sputnik-era flair.
Mom's Motel (2006)
Tulare, CA Photo courtesy Peter Riley
By the time these photos were taken, the motel was abandoned and the marquee was showing plenty of rust. Even in its faded condition, those starbursts and that big arrow could still make passing travelers take another look.
UPDATE : There is no sight of the motel building itself. Just the sign has been left for the last several years. 10-06
UPDATE : The sign has disappeared from the middle of Highway 99 in the past couple of years. 02-13
UPDATE: Mom's Motel has been demolished, and its distinctive roadside sign is gone. Whether the marquee was saved or lost during removal has not been confirmed. Another familiar piece of old Highway 99 has disappeared. 09-26
Carousel Motel (Gone)
Fresno, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
This old Carousel Motel and suites sign once stood near Highway 99 in Fresno. This was originally the Marlo Carousel Motel, later shortened to the Carousel Motel. Opened in 1962, the property offered 60 air-conditioned rooms near Roeding Park, with more rooms added later.
The unusual sign was designed to resemble a carnival carousel. Individual hanging panels once spelled out “CAROUSEL” beneath a striped circus-tent canopy. The theme continued inside, where the motel had a merry-go-round cocktail lounge with carousel horses surrounding the bar and calliope music. Not exactly the usual motel lounge waiting off the highway.
The property later became the Travel Inn & Suites. During the change, the old carousel panels were stripped or painted over, while the canopy was refaced to advertise suites. That explains the forlorn collection of empty panels seen here.
UPDATE: After operating as the Travel Inn & Suites and later as temporary housing, the site was approved for conversion into the Parkview Apartments. The original carousel sign has been removed. 09-26
Famoso Motel (Rem.)
Bakersfield, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here's the Famoso Motel, a familiar old stop along Highway 99 north of Bakersfield. Sitting near the Highway 46 junction, the motel caught travelers heading through the Central Valley or turning west toward Paso Robles and the coast. Its tall roadside marquee made the Famoso name hard to miss from the highway.
The motel dates from the 1960s and was part of a roadside complex with a gas station and restaurant. One unusual feature was the motel office, or lack of one. Guests reportedly checked in and picked up their room keys at the neighboring Chevron station. Fill up the car, grab the motel key, and call it a night.
UPDATE: The Famoso Motel is actually located near McFarland, about 20 miles north of Bakersfield. The property has been undergoing redevelopment as part of the Famoso Travel Center, and the motel sign disappeared 6 to 10 years ago. 09-26
Bel Air Motel (Demolished)
Fresno, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Bel Air Motel in Fresno still looked much as it had some 40 years earlier, with plenty of flagcrete surrounding the front office. That chunky imitation-stone finish gave the place a little mid-century texture along old Highway 99. The marquee no longer lit up the night, but it still stood tall enough to remind travelers where they were.
The Bel Air offered 33 rooms near Olive Avenue and Roeding Park. Vintage postcards advertised soundproof and fireproof construction, air conditioning, wall-to-wall carpeting, tiled showers, built-in radios, and Panelray heat. Quite a list of comforts to consider before pulling into the driveway.
Bel Air Motel
Fresno, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
There was also a restaurant and banquet room on the property, turning the Bel Air into more than just another place to spend the night. A traveler could find a room, get something to eat, and admire all that flagcrete without going very far.
UPDATE: The Bel Air Motel was demolished in 2009. 09-10
UPDATE: The Bel Air Motel was demolished around 2009, and the property was cleared for redevelopment. Its old roadside marquee was saved and donated to the Museum of Neon Art, giving at least one piece of this Highway 99 stop another home. 09-26
Mom's Motel (Gone)
Mom's Motel (2006)
Carousel Motel (Gone)
Famoso Motel (Rem.)
Bel Air Motel (Demolished)
Bel Air Motel
