Sharene Motel (Rem.)
San Bernardino, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Check out the colors and arrow on the Sharene Motel marquee in San Bernardino. The orange-and-blue treatment gives this old roadside sign a cheerful appearance, while the arrow makes it pretty clear where motorists should turn.
The motel appears in local directories by 1956–1957, placing it among the overnight stops serving Route 66 travelers along Mount Vernon Avenue. Its familiar name carried on as the surrounding roadside changed.
The marquee supplies plenty of personality above the parking area. Apparently a little paint and neon could make directions much more interesting than an ordinary driveway notice.
UPDATE: The Sharene Motel became the Dream Inn in 2011 and the sign has been reused for the new business though the neon motel lettering is long gone. 10-26
Oasis Motel
San Bernardino, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
With a name like Oasis Motel, this San Bernardino stop offered weary motorists a promising roadside introduction. Check out the old marquee along Mount Vernon Avenue, where decorative pool imagery added a little vacation atmosphere above the street.
The motel stood along a historic Route 66 corridor, giving travelers another place to pull in before continuing through the city. Its sign helped distinguish this Oasis from the many other lodging properties borrowing the same inviting name.
UPDATE: The Oasis Motel remains open at 1488 N. Mount Vernon Avenue, with its historic roadside sign still standing. This is the San Bernardino property, separate from the vanished Orange County motels of the same name. 10-26
Lido Motel (Closed)
San Bernardino, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Along Cajon Boulevard in San Bernardino, the Lido Motel offers a familiar old motor-court look. Its tall sign combines flowing script, an angular metal backplate, and a vertical neon “MOTEL” panel, giving travelers more than a plain vacancy notice to watch for.
Established in the 1940s as Andy’s Motel, the property welcomed motorists coming into town along Route 66. Vintage postcards promoted air-cooled and heated rooms, calling it “Your Home Away From Home.” The single-story units had individual gables and drive-up entrances, a practical arrangement after a long day on the highway.
The Lido name arrived in the late 1950s or 1960s, along with the distinctive mid-century marquee. Its mix of shapes and lettering gave the older court another roadside identity as cars continued down from Cajon Pass.
Lido Motel
San Bernardino, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The motel also has a connection to Pixar. Director Sanjay Patel’s parents purchased it in the early 1980s, and he grew up living on the property. That childhood experience inspired the setting of his Academy Award-nominated short Sanjay’s Super Team in 2015. Quite a different kind of screen appearance for an old Route 66 stop.
UPDATE: The Lido at 2180 Cajon Boulevard no longer operates as a nightly tourist motel, having shifted toward extended-stay and transitional housing. Its single-story rooms and original mid-century sign framework survive, keeping a little of the old highway scene in place. 10-26
Roadway Motel (Demolished)
Pico Rivera, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s the old Roadway Motel in Pico Rivera, with a marquee that once dominated the roadside. By the time of the original entry, the property had been remodeled into a Days Inn, giving this neighborhood stop a different appearance. 12-98
The earlier sign advertised with the sort of scale that made a small motel easy to spot from a passing car. For sign hunters, it offered a reason to check out the frontage even without plans to spend the night. The franchise makeover changed that greeting. The buildings continued in lodging use, but the Roadway name and its large vintage marquee disappeared.
UPDATE: The Roadway Motel had become a Days Inn by December 1998. The Days Inn closed a couple of years ago and was demolished to make way for a new gated community. 10-26
Deano's Motel (Closed)
Culver City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Culver City is home to this view of Deano’s Motel and its big ol’ boomerang arrow. Cursive lettering above the block-letter “MOTEL” panel gives Sepulveda Boulevard travelers a familiar roadside greeting, with the arrow pointing the way in. 07-99
Early construction records for the property go back to 1926. The motel developed into a single-story, U-shaped motor court with 26 rooms around an open parking area, offering motorists a convenient stop between the Valley, West Los Angeles, and the beach cities.
The lodging business eventually ended, but the buildings found another purpose. Culver City acquired Deano’s and the neighboring motel in 2022 through California’s Project Homekey program, renovating the properties for interim and supportive housing.
UPDATE: Deano’s at 3868 Sepulveda Boulevard no longer operates as a commercial motel. Its motor-court buildings were converted for housing, and the city included preservation and maintenance of the vintage pole sign in its improvement plans. Good to see the old roadside greeting getting a place in the property’s next chapter. 10-26
Astro Motel (Closed)
Culver City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Next to Deano’s in Culver City, the Astro Motel offered a striking marquee and an A-frame to boot. Between the Space Age lettering and sharply pitched entrance, there was plenty to check out along this stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard. 07-99
Built around 1940, the property grew through additions during the 1950s and 1960s. Its approximately 35 rooms surrounded an open parking area, following the familiar motor-court arrangement that let travelers park close to their doors.
The later marquee gave the older property a futuristic identity. Atomic-era lettering suited the Astro name, adding a little trip into tomorrow above a practical overnight stop.
UPDATE: The Astro at 3850 Sepulveda Boulevard shifted toward budget and extended-stay lodging. The property has been marketed for redevelopment or possible supportive-housing conversion following Culver City’s purchase of neighboring Deano’s. 10-26
Sharene Motel (Rem.)
Oasis Motel
Lido Motel (Closed)
Lido Motel
Roadway Motel (Demolished)
Deano's Motel (Closed)
Astro Motel (Closed)
