Ayres Motel
Fresno, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The Ayres Motel in Fresno still features an old roadside sign flashing back to the days when small motor courts were the place to spend the night. Check out the angled Ayres panel, script motel lettering, and the old “No Vacancy” section hanging below. A lot more character than the usual plastic rectangle.
Built in 1951, the Ayres sits near South Orange Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, along one of the old approaches to Highway 99. The motel is a small one, with just 10 single-story rooms gathered around a narrow driveway. Pull in, park close to the door, and settle in for the night. That's about as classic as a motor court gets.
Unlike many of the old motels along Fresno's northern motel row, the Ayres escaped demolition and kept its familiar sign. From the looks of things, this old roadside stop still has some life left in it.
UPDATE: The Ayres Motel remains open under new management, with individual rooms being renovated and offered through modern booking services. Its distinctive mid-century marquee still stands outside along South Orange Avenue. 09-26
California Motel (Closed)
Fresno, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
This old faded sign sits on the lot of the California Motel in Fresno. Check out the curved panels and stacked lettering on this weather-beaten marquee. Imagine how it must have looked in its heyday, glowing alongside the other motel signs and trying to catch sleepy travelers before they continued up Highway 99.
The California Motel stood along South Golden State Boulevard, part of the old southern approach into Fresno. In the years before the freeway pulled traffic away, independent motor courts lined these routes with neon, arrows, and promises of modern comforts. Each place needed something memorable out front, and this streamlined sign did the job here.
California Motel
Fresno, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Time and weather eventually took away the neon and much of the color, leaving the bare metal panels behind. The sign still shows off its sweeping shape, though it now looks more like a ghost of Fresno's old motel strip.
UPDATE: The California Motel has closed, and the property sits vacant along the old Highway 99 corridor. Its faded roadside marquee remains on the lot, though the condition and use of the buildings behind it are uncertain. 09-26
Capri Motel
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The Capri Motel still stands along Union Avenue, part of the old Highway 99 route through Bakersfield. Check out the vintage roadside sign announcing the motel near the corner of 21st Street. Another reminder of the days when this busy stretch was lined with independent motor courts competing for passing travelers.
The Capri follows the familiar roadside layout, with exterior room doors and parking close at hand. Pull off the old highway, park near the room, and settle in before continuing through the Central Valley. Out front, the tall marquee gave motorists a little advance notice that lodging was waiting.
Long after Highway 99 traffic moved to the freeway, the motel and its old sign remained along Union Avenue. Plenty has changed around them, but this little piece of the former highway strip keeps hanging on.
Capri Motel (Rem.)
Bakersfield, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: Here are a few more images of the Capri Motel. From the looks of these photos, the tall vertical marquee standing by the roadside was removed in recent years. The once prominent sign added a touch of 50's or 60's feel to the complex. The large letters on the driveway port as well as the rectangular plastic sign still survive to this day. The Capri Theatre is located on Union Avenue, which is the old Route 99, in a busy area of Bakersfield. Since the photo to the left was taken, several businesses and signs along the old route have been removed, including the Farmer John's Pancake House which was demolished. Soon, not much will be left to remind folks of the old mom and pop businesses that used to be Route 99 in Bakersfield, CA. 12-08
UPDATE: The Capri Motel remains open as an independent budget motel. Its large roadside marquee no longer stands at the corner of Union Avenue and 21st Street. 09-26
City Motel (Closed)
Fresno, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The City Motel in Fresno points the way into the lodging area with a big arrow on its weather-beaten marquee. The paint has faded with time, but the sign still gets a few important messages across. Yes, that arrow also points the way to “Free T.V.” Apparently television was worth some extra direction.
The motel dates to the early days of automobile travel along South G Street, once part of the old Highway 99 entrance into Fresno. Its 19 rooms were arranged in a single-story motor court, offering passing travelers a place to pull in and spend the night.
UPDATE: The City Motel has closed and remained vacant for years. A major fire damaged the abandoned buildings in February 2026, injuring a firefighter when part of the floor collapsed. The weathered roadside marquee was still standing after the motel ceased operating. 09-26
Fowler Motel (Gone)
Fowler, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Here's another old sign for the Fowler Motel, faded like so many others along old Highway 99. The weathered lettering and empty panels show plenty of years beside the road. It may have lost its glow, but the marquee still pointed out where a room could once be found.
The motel opened in 1949, built by a local feed store owner who advertised its brick construction along with modern heating and cooling. He sold the place only three years later. In 1964, the new Highway 99 freeway bypassed the old route by about 1,000 feet. That short distance took passing motorists away from the motel and other roadside businesses.
UPDATE: The Fowler Motel has closed, and its original marquee has been removed. Some of the property may have continued in residential use. 09-26
Fair Courts Trailer Park
Tulare, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Fair Courts Trailer Park in Tulare appears to be named for the nearby fairgrounds and not necessarily for the quality of the lodging or trailer park. Check out the old entrance sign along South K Street, part of the former Highway 99 route.
The place was once known as the Fair Courts Motel & Trailer Park, combining roadside rooms with spaces for travelers bringing their own accommodations. It sits next door to the Virginia Lodge, creating a small pocket of old highway lodging near the Tulare County Fairgrounds.
UPDATE: Fair Courts remains open as a residential trailer and mobile home park with about 15 spaces. Its vintage entrance sign also survives along South K Street. 09-26
Ayres Motel
California Motel (Closed)
California Motel
Capri Motel
Capri Motel (Rem.)
City Motel (Closed)
Fowler Motel (Gone)
Fair Courts Trailer Park
