Kona Motel
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
A little South Pacific roadside flavor greets motorists at the Kona Motel in Anaheim. The dramatic A-frame entrance and island-inspired marquee give this Brookhurst Street stop a look from the days when an overnight stay could come with a tropical theme.
Opened in the late 1950s, the Kona joined Southern California’s enthusiasm for Polynesian-style restaurants, lounges, and motels. Its large neon sign was manufactured by the Santa Ana Neon Co., giving travelers a memorable landmark to watch for along the road.
Postcards from the 1960s advertised air conditioning, “Free T.V.,” and a heated kidney-shaped swimming pool. Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm were promoted as being just five minutes away. Apparently a little island atmosphere didn’t require leaving Orange County.
UPDATE: The Kona Motel marquee has been tweaked and the motel remains at 331 N. Brookhurst Street, preserving a reminder of Anaheim’s late-1950s themed motel boom. 10-26
Grove Motel
Garden Grove, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
Check out the towering marquee at the Grove Motel in Garden Grove. With its stacked shapes and generous helping of neon, this sign had plenty to say to passing motorists. Quite a roadside greeting for those looking for a room along Garden Grove Boulevard.
Built in the late 1950s, the motel stood across from a stretch remembered for Bob’s Big Boy and Chris & Pitt’s Bar-B-Q. Between the food stops and overnight lodging, travelers had several reasons to pull off the road around here.
The Grove’s multi-tiered sign became one of the familiar vintage sights in town. As other old marquees disappeared, its height and elaborate design made it an especially noticeable reminder of the boulevard’s earlier years.
The property later deteriorated, prompting a substantial overhaul for a different kind of residential use. Renovation work included asbestos removal, building-code updates, and changes to accommodate housing with supportive services.
UPDATE: The former Grove Motel at 12621 Garden Grove Boulevard underwent conversion into a 48-room congregate residence in partnership with CalOptima Health. The supplied history does not give a completion date. 10-26
Stovall's Space Age (Gone)
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
An overnight trip into the future awaited guests at Stovall’s Space Age Lodge in Anaheim. Opened in 1965, the Katella Avenue motel traded the usual roadside theme for rockets, atomic shapes, and a little moon-bound imagination.
Owner Al Stovall developed a collection of space-themed motels around Disneyland, advertising “Moon Level Luxury at Down to Earth Rates.” His interests in copper mining and plastics manufacturing helped supply the materials for custom fixtures and unusual decorations. Apparently an ordinary motel lamp wasn’t quite enough.
The lobby displayed autographed astronaut photographs, while a capsule-shaped swimming pool carried the theme outside. Nearby stood the “Moon House,” a white spherical dome intended to suggest the sort of structure that might someday shelter visitors on the moon.
Stovall's Space Age (Gone)
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
Guests could enjoy a little Space Age scenery without getting much farther from Earth than the second floor. It was a fitting roadside companion to an era when Tomorrowland and the real space program both had imaginations working overtime.
UPDATE: Later renovations removed the lodge’s original space-themed decorations and modernized the property. The supplied history identifies its later operation as the Pavilions Hotel, though that connection needs verification before publication. 10-26
Apollo Inn (Demolished)
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
Along the road once known as West Street, the Apollo Inn brought another helping of outer-space style to Anaheim’s motel scene. Opened in the late 1960s, this Stovall property combined angular rooflines with scenery that looked ready for a vacation somewhere beyond Earth.
There was a bit of storybook landscaping mixed in with the futuristic architecture. Its “Wonderland of Topiary Trees” featured plants shaped into animals, inspired by Al Stovall’s travels in Europe. Guests could check out the greenery before heading across to Disneyland for more of the same sort of imagination.
Apollo Inn (Removed)
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
Even airport transportation joined the theme. Stovall’s neon-lit “Rocket Van” gave arriving guests a suitable introduction, though the trip still depended on roads rather than a launchpad.
The Apollo was part of Stovall’s larger collection of themed motels surrounding Disneyland. Together, they made the overnight accommodations an attraction of their own, with something to catch the eye before guests ever reached the park.
UPDATE: According to the supplied history, Disney acquired and demolished the Apollo Inn in the late 1990s during changes associated with California Adventure and Disneyland Drive. An exact closure or demolition year was not provided. 10-26
Cosmic Age Lodge (Remodeled)
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
Rockets and glowing planetary shapes helped welcome guests to the Cosmic Age Lodge in Anaheim. Opened in 1965, this Harbor Boulevard motel was another chapter in Al Stovall’s effort to bring a little outer space to an Orange County vacation.
The lobby carried the theme with suspended rocket models, Saturn-like neon rings, and colorful geometric dividers. Custom plastic decorations from Stovall’s manufacturing operation helped turn the ordinary motel interior into something that might interest a young astronaut.
Like the other Stovall properties, the Cosmic Age offered futuristic surroundings at decidedly earthbound rates. Visitors could spend the day at Disneyland and return to a motel that kept some of that Tomorrowland feeling going after the park visit ended.
Cosmic Age Lodge (Remodeled)
Anaheim, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
Later remodeling removed the rockets, neon, and much of the original theme as Anaheim’s resort area changed. The old roadside vision gave way to more conventional hotel surroundings.
UPDATE: The Cosmic Age Lodge’s original Space Age appearance was lost through renovation and rebranding. The supplied account links it to today’s Stovall’s Inn, but the address and hotel identities need verification before that detail is included. 10-26
Kona Motel
Grove Motel
Stovall's Space Age (Gone)
Stovall's Space Age (Gone)
Apollo Inn (Demolished)
Apollo Inn (Removed)
Cosmic Age Lodge (Remodeled)
Cosmic Age Lodge (Remodeled)
