Cozy Motel
Stockton, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Cruising along the old asphalt of North Wilson Way in Stockton, you run right into the Cozy Motel. Back when Wilson Way carried the combined rush of U.S. 99 and U.S. 50 straight through town, this strip was a neon-lit haven for motorists making the long haul through the Central Valley.
Back around 1960, on-site owner-hosts Hank and Ida Carner welcomed highway travelers pulling off the busy road with modern road-trip comforts like refrigerated air conditioning, television, and what their vintage postcards proudly boasted as "a grand tile shower." Built as a classic single-story motor court, it gave drivers easy drive-up parking right outside their door, with several rooms featuring handy built-in kitchenettes for longer stays. Once the modern freeway bypass opened to the east, the steady stream of vacationers dried up along the old business route, and the court adapted by shifting toward budget and extended-stay lodging.
UPDATE: The Cozy Motel is still open along North Wilson Way, with its vintage roadside marquee holding down the blacktop at the entrance. 09-26
Western Motel (Closed)
Santa Clara, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Here's a nice daylight shot of the Western Motel along El Camino Real in Santa Clara. Back when El Camino carried the busy traffic of U.S. 101 through the Peninsula, motor courts used bold themes to stand out, and this place went full cowboy.
Opened in 1948 with 31 "ultra-modern" units, the court offered travelers top-tier perks like room phones, TV, and a heated pool. By 1959, the owners really made their mark on the roadside by planting a towering neon marquee out front shaped like a giant desert cactus with colorful western lettering. While the sign managed to dodge city clearance sweeps over the decades, a later overhaul stripped away the fragile glass neon tubing, leaving just the painted metal silhouette to anchor the frontage.
Western Motel
Santa Clara, CA Photo courtesy Jessica Port
UPDATE: Here's a black and white shot of the Western Motel cactus marquee
in Santa Clara. The motel appears to have a ranch theme. Many thanks to Jessica Portfor info. 03-10
UPDATE: The marquee for the Western Motel still stands intact, however the neon lettering is now gone. 08-12
UPDATE: The Western Motel has permanently closed its doors along El Camino Real, though its cactus-shaped sign remains standing on-site, stripped of its original neon glass. 09-26
According to this site, Western Motel was built in 1948 along El Camino with the sign being added in 1959. The good news had been that this motel marquee was still surviving through 2010.
Glass Slipper Inn
Palo Alto, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The Glass Slipper Inn looks to be a true Palo Alto roadside landmark. Built in 1964 along busy El Camino Real, this delightful dose of storybook kitsch was designed to catch the eye of travelers rolling down the Peninsula. With its whimsical castle turrets, fairy-tale rooflines, and signature slipper perched up top, it brought a playful touch of make-believe to the highway alongside classic drive-up parking.
The colorful motor court even bounced back from a serious two-alarm fire in 2016, enduring as one of the last remaining themed motels from El Camino's mid-century roadside boom.
UPDATE: The Glass Slipper Inn is still open for business along El Camino Real, with its memorable rooftop slipper and roadside marquee intact. 09-26
A White Cottage Motel (Gone)
Vallejo, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The A White Cottage Motel in Vallejo still features an old sign with broken neon out front along Lincoln Road West. Once a bustling, comfortable motor cottage court welcoming drivers off the road, the faded property now appears to be a quiet shell of its former self, standing as a time-worn reminder of the roadside's past.
Built around 1940 during the classic pre-war auto-court boom, the property was laid out across nearly an acre of ground with low-slung, drive-up cottage units. The design gave passing road trippers easy, private parking right at their doorsteps—the quintessential automobile travel experience that catered to highway motorists and local traffic tied to the nearby Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Guests pulling in off Lincoln Road were treated to the quiet simplicity of a small-town motor court, with simple cabins clustered together beneath the bay breeze.
A White Cottage Motel
Vallejo, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Over the decades, as the primary flow of regional traffic shifted away toward newer expressways and interstates, the modest court quietly fell off the active travel registries. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, it had faded from typical tourist lodging, with its weathered orange-and-white neon roadside sign falling into broken disrepair. Commercial motel operations finally phased out between 2003 and 2005, and the property was sold in late 2005 to transition the cottages into long-term residential housing.
UPDATE: The property ceased commercial motel operations in the mid-2000s and transitioned into private residential housing, though its weathered vintage pole sign is gone. 09-26
West Walker Motel
Walker, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The West Walker Motel is located in... you guessed it... Walker, California. Conveniently situated right along the edge of U.S. 395, this classic stop has been greeting motorists rolling through the scenic Antelope Valley of Mono County for decades.
With roots tracing back as early as 1932, the motor court captures the easygoing spirit of pre-freeway travel along the Eastern Sierra. The compact property features eleven comfortable rooms alongside a modern standalone tiny house unit, serving as a peaceful base camp for anglers, road trippers, and travelers making their way between Topaz Lake and the high-desert mountain passes.
UPDATE: Now operating as The Historic West Walker Motel, the property remains open for guests along Highway 395 with its vintage roadside marquee still standing proud out front. 09-26
Andruss Motel
Walker, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
This motel sits right off the 395. Well, just up the road from the West Walker in the town of Walker, this eye-catching sign for the Andruss Motel still appears to be in great shape... perhaps even brand new. 01-03
First opened back in 1958, this classic thirteen-unit American motor court spans over two acres along the highway, welcoming generations of Eastern Sierra anglers, road trippers, and mountain adventurers. The rooms feature authentic knotty pine walls that give guests that true mountain-cabin feel, while the grounds boast a swimming pool, outdoor fire pits, and even a dedicated fish cleaning station for travelers bringing in their catch from the local streams. Fresh paint and meticulous upkeep over the years have kept both the property and its great vintage marquee looking sharp.
UPDATE: The Andruss Motel is in Walker, California on US Hwy 395. The sign was erected in 1960 when Ray and Margaret Andruss bought "Hickson's Fish Camp" (built in 1957) and expanded the four room, knotty pine, rustic board and batten ranch style building into the "All modern...Water Cooled, Thermostatically Controlled Heat" with "Heated Pool, Lounge Room with TV, Inn Room Coffee, Excellent Hunting and Fishing Area, " 12 unit, birch paneling, modern American Motor Court. We are the seventh owners. -
Mary Dayhoff Many thanks to Mary Dayhoff for update. 04-06
UPDATE: The Andruss Motel is still open for business along U.S. 395 with its beautifully maintained roadside sign welcoming travelers into Walker. 09-26
Cozy Motel
Glass Slipper Inn
A White Cottage Motel (Gone)
A White Cottage Motel
West Walker Motel
Andruss Motel
