North Shore Motel (Demolished)
Salton City, CA
Photo courtesy Bill Herzog

Here's what's left of the North Shore Motel in Salton City, CA. The motel has been deserted for a decade or more. The whole place looks spookily abandoned. Many thanks to Bill Herzog for info. 05-08

Sitting abandoned near the edge of the Salton Sea, the North Shore Motel looked more like a movie set than a former desert resort. The empty two-story complex had rows of open rooms, faded walls, and plenty of silence. A far cry from the days when vacationers came here for boating, swimming, and a little fun in the desert sun.

The 48-unit motel was designed in 1959 by noted desert architect Albert Frey. It was developed by Ray Ryan and Trav Rogers as part of the North Shore resort community, with guests receiving recreational privileges at the neighboring North Shore Beach and Yacht Club. Long after the tourists disappeared, the abandoned motel found one last role as a filming location for the 2005 movie The Island. 05-08

North Shore Motel (Demolished)
Salton Sea, CA
Photo courtesy Scott Broadhurst

UPDATE: The North Shore Motel is in the process of being demolished. 12-08

UPDATE: Here's a photo of the North Shore Motel located at, yes the north shore, of the Salton Sea. The motel was torn down in November 2008. 09-10

UPDATE: Demolition began later in 2008, and the North Shore Motel was completely cleared by November. The motel actually stood in North Shore near Mecca, on the northeastern side of the Salton Sea, rather than in Salton City on the western shore. The motel and its sign are now gone. 12-08

Green Spot Motel original marquee
Victorville, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

The Green Spot Motel in Barstow, CA, just off Route 66, is still open for business. The original marquee was replaced by a backlit plastic sign several years ago. Fortunately, the original sign was saved and is on display at the Route 66 Museum in Barstow. Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for info. 05-08

Traveling through old Victorville, check out the Green Spot Motel, a Spanish-style motor court that has been welcoming Route 66 travelers since 1937. The motel originally offered 21 rooms, each with its own attached garage so motorists could park right beside their accommodations. No dragging the suitcases across a giant parking lot or worrying about the desert dust settling on the family automobile.

Green Spot Motel
Victorville, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

The individual garages were eventually enclosed and converted into additional guest rooms, expanding the property to 41 units. The old courtyard swimming pool was also filled in, but much of the original motor-court arrangement remains recognizable. Its location near the railroad station made the Green Spot a convenient stopping place long before Interstate 15 redirected most travelers around downtown Victorville.

The Green Spot also comes with a surprising Hollywood connection. In 1940, writers Herman J. Mankiewicz and John Houseman stayed at the motel while working on the first drafts of Citizen Kane. The desert surroundings apparently offered the right amount of peace and isolation for finishing a screenplay. That gives this unassuming Route 66 motel a place in the history of one of Hollywood’s most famous movies.

Green Spot Motel office sign
Victorville, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Across the street once stood the unrelated Green Spot Cafe, which also served as Victorville’s Greyhound bus station before burning down in 1954. Between the motel, cafe, buses, trains, and passing automobiles, this corner must have seen plenty of travelers during its highway heyday. 05-08

UPDATE: The Green Spot Motel remains open on C Street, although the pool and original roadside sign are gone from the property. The vintage neon marquee was saved, restored, and placed on permanent display inside the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville. A basic plastic sign now points travelers toward the surviving motel. 09-26