Glen Capri Motel
Glendale, CA Photos courtesy Anand Desai
Along San Fernando Road in Glendale, the Glen Capri Motel offers a familiar roadside look with its two-story buildings and neon script. An old motor court still carrying on near the Burbank border, with a little nighttime color to catch the eye. 07-07
Opened in 1951 along historic U.S. Route 99, the motel arranged its rooms around a central parking area. Travelers could pull off the road and settle in before continuing through the Valley or heading farther into Los Angeles.
The neon lettering gave the property a recognizable greeting after dark. Even as traffic and surrounding businesses changed, the Glen Capri retained the sort of appearance that makes an older motel worth a second look.
Glen Capri Motel
Glendale, CA Photos courtesy Anand Desai
That mid-century setting also attracted film crews. The supplied history lists appearances in The Good Girl in 2002, followed by Anchorman and The Girl Next Door in 2004. Apparently the motel could offer both an overnight room and a ready-made trip into an earlier roadside era.
A renovation in 2014 updated the accommodations while keeping the familiar building profile and signature lettering. Good to see the old frontage given another chapter instead of disappearing with the next construction project.
UPDATE: The Glen Capri remains in operation at 6700 San Fernando Road, continuing its lodging history dating to 1951. Its neon script and mid-century silhouette were retained through the later renovation. 10-26
Rose Bowl Motel (Demolished)
Pasadena, CA Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb
Here’s the old sign that once greeted travelers at the Rose Bowl Motel in Pasadena. The themed marquee gave motorists along Colorado Boulevard something to check out, with a name well suited to a town known for its New Year’s festivities. 11-07
Opened in 1956, the motel served Route 66 travelers and visitors arriving for the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game. Its elaborate sign reportedly combined football imagery, stadium-like arches, and script lettering. The motel later became a redevelopment site, taking another overnight stop out of the old highway landscape.
UPDATE: The Rose Bowl Motel’s demolition appeared to have been in the early 2000s, with a car dealership later occupying the site. 10-26
Skylark Motel
Riverside, CA Photo courtesy Scott Strickland
Check out the angled lettering and little boomerang arrow at the Skylark Motel in Riverside. The sign looks fairly simple upon closer inspection, though its arrangement gives passing motorists plenty to notice along University Avenue. 10-09
Built in 1961, the 27-room motel served a growing Riverside near the UC Riverside campus. Its original roadside display carried the angular look of the period, with a later addition bringing another decade into the picture.
In the late 1970s, a backlit panel advertising a “Jacuzzi” was reportedly attached below the older sign. A little extra selling space without starting the marquee over from scratch.
UPDATE: The Skylark remains standing at 1150 University Avenue and is reported to serve primarily weekly-rate guests. Its older buildings and layered marquee retain reminders of the original 1961 property and later changes. 10-26
New Corral Motel
Victorville, CA Photo courtesy John King
A rearing horse marks the spot at the New Corral Motel along Route 66 in Victorville. Patterned after Roy Rogers’ famous Trigger, the figure gives this often-photographed marquee a fitting Western welcome to the High Desert. 09-10
Opened in 1947, the motel has watched decades of travelers pass along the Mother Road. Its neon horse became the feature to look for, standing above the lettering as though ready for another appearance in front of the camera.
For motorists searching for a room, the sign helped identify the driveway. For roadside photographers, Trigger could be reason enough to stop, even without an overnight reservation.
UPDATE: The New Corral Motel remains in operation at 14643 Seventh Street, with its distinctive horse marquee retained. The property continues a Route 66 lodging history dating to 1947. 10-26
Palm Tropics Motel (Rem.)
Glendora, CA Photo courtesy John King
The Palm Tropics Motel is a survivor along Route 66 in Glendora. Even with construction changing the surroundings, its flowing neon marquee continued beckoning motorists, adding a familiar glow to the old highway. 09-10
Opened in 1955, the motel offered travelers a landscaped courtyard and palms to help put them in a vacation frame of mind. After a long stretch behind the wheel, a little greenery around the rooms could make the stop look inviting.
UPDATE: The Palm Tropics remains open at 740 E. Route 66. A renovation in 2013 updated the property and the neon motel was redone without neon. 10-26
El Royale Motel
Studio City, CA Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb
Traveling Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, check out the neon at the El Royale Motel. A tall roadside marquee advertises the property, while another sign hovers over the driveway. Apparently one glowing welcome wasn’t quite enough for this old auto court. 11-10
Opened in 1939, the El Royale belongs to an earlier era of Valley automobile travel. Its low-slung bungalow arrangement offered guests a place to pull in and settle down, long before the surrounding freeway network changed the drive.
The location near the former Republic Studios, later CBS Studio Center, also put it within reach of the entertainment industry. Actors, stunt performers, and other studio workers reportedly stayed here through the years, adding a little Hollywood history behind the motel signs.
The two neon displays give photographers more than one view to capture. The tall marquee announces the name from the boulevard, while the entrance sign welcomes motorists into the lot. A daytime look at the buildings and an evening visit for the neon might call for two trips past this one.
El Royale Motel
Studio City, CA Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb
Rooms were refurbished in 2014 while the older layout and roadside character were retained. The supplied account also mentions unverified tales of sudden cold spots and cigar smoke drifting through quiet walkways before dawn. A little motel folklore to accompany the old Hollywood atmosphere.
UPDATE: The El Royale remains in operation at 11117 Ventura Boulevard, preserving its bungalow layout and dual neon signs. Its history dates to 1939, giving this Studio City stop a long run along the old highway corridor. 10-26
Rose Bowl Motel (Demolished)
New Corral Motel
A rearing horse marks the spot at the New Corral Motel along Route 66 in Victorville. Patterned after Roy Rogers’ famous Trigger, the figure gives this often-photographed marquee a fitting Western welcome to the High Desert. 09-10
Palm Tropics Motel (Rem.)
El Royale Motel
El Royale Motel
