Chisholm's Motor Inn
Saugus, MA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Also located in Saugus, MA is this marquee for Chisholm's Motor Inn. 02-08

Located along the bustling stretch of U.S. Route 1 (Broadway) at 1314 Broadway, Chisholm's Motor Inn was built during the post war automotive travel boom to welcome families and tourists traveling north of Boston. The property features a classic two story, L shaped layout with park at your door convenience. Out front, the multi layered mid century neon marquee with its stylized script lettering and neon vacancy box stands out as a genuine roadside survivor on a strip once world famous for its neon signs and Googie architecture.

UPDATE: Chisholm's Motor Inn continues to operate as an independent motel along Route 1, and its vintage roadside neon sign still greets highway motorists though a bit plain after some modifications. 08-2

Milford Motel (Closed)
Milford, CT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

The Milford Motel was located on US 1 in Milford CT. The motel is now a Super 8, but the sign remained until about a year ago when it was taken down. Many thanks to Rick Ibsen for info. 03-08

Located along a bustling post war travel corridor that carried heavy traffic through coastal Connecticut before Interstate 95, the motor court offered convenient drive up lodging for travelers cruising Route 1. In an interesting twist, the property's classic independent neon marquee managed to hang on and survive along the roadside for years even after the motel had changed operational hands.

UPDATE: While the mid century motel building was preserved and repurposed under the Super 8 franchise, the original vintage Milford Motel roadside marquee was eventually taken down and replaced by modern signage. 08-26

Tenacres Motel
Galloway, NJ
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The Tenacres Motel is found on US Route 9 outside of Atlantic City. Besides the motel, there is a little coffee shop found on the property. According to this marquee, the coffee shop serves both breakfast and lunch if you follow the little arrow. Many thanks to Paul Bauke for info. 03-09

The Tenacres Motel sits along Route 9 in Galloway, often listed as Absecon, with a green-and-white roadside sign that looks like it has been pointing travelers in for quite a while. The motel is a classic single-story motor court with parking right outside the rooms, the kind of place that once lined the roads leading toward Atlantic City. An interesting twist is that the old motel office eventually became the Cracked Egg Cafe, giving part of the property a second life.

UPDATE: Tenacres Motel is still open, and the old roadside sign continues to stand along Route 9, although its neon appears to be mostly out of action these days. 08-26

Hunters Lodge
Delaware, NJ
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Here’s a colorful one along old Route 46. The Hunter's Lodge Restaurant & Motel near Delaware, New Jersey sports a great stacked roadside sign advertising both the restaurant and motel, complete with bright colors, big lettering, and plenty of old-fashioned neon framing. Definitely the kind of sign that was meant to catch your eye from the highway. 03-09

Hunter's Lodge dates back to the late 1930s, when Route 46 was carrying plenty of travelers toward the Delaware Water Gap. The building reportedly had a couple of lives even before that, serving first as a railroad depot and later as a tomato cannery. That's quite a jump from tomatoes to motel rooms and prime rib.

Over the years, the lodge became a popular restaurant and stopping place, and local history even has Babe Ruth and Frank Sinatra among the famous names who visited. The restaurant is still known for its steaks and prime rib, while the motel rooms out back keep the old roadside lodge part of the operation going.

UPDATE: Hunter's Lodge remains open as a restaurant, bar, and motel, and that big colorful Route 46 sign is still standing out front. 08-26

Midtown Motel (Demolished)
Burlington, VT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Here’s the Midtown Motel, sitting right along Main Street in downtown Burlington. The name and the look of the place seem just about right for a downtown motel, especially with those blue awnings and parking tucked underneath the rooms. It was quite a different setup from the usual roadside motor court out on the edge of town. 04-09

The Mid-Town opened in the 1950s and was one of Burlington’s first true downtown motels. With only 14 rooms, it was squeezed onto a narrow Main Street lot just a couple doors down from Memorial Auditorium. The rooms were raised above the ground with carports underneath, a clever way of giving motorists a place to park right in the middle of town.

By the 1990s the motel had seen better days, and it finally closed in 2005. It sat boarded up for another 16 years, becoming a rather familiar abandoned sight along Main Street. There was some debate over whether the unusual mid-century building should be considered historic, but preservation officials eventually decided it didn't qualify.

UPDATE: After years of sitting vacant, the Midtown Motel was demolished in February 2021. The motel and its signage are now gone. 08-26

Hollywood Motel
New Castle, DE
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

If you happen to be cruising along Route 13 just south of Wilmington, keep an eye out for the Hollywood Motel near the old town of New Castle. This stretch of DuPont Highway still has a few reminders of its earlier roadside days, and the Hollywood is one of them. The motel itself has that familiar old motor court look, but it's the vintage neon signs that really catch the eye. The big Hollywood sign stands out along the highway, while a smaller neon OFFICE sign points travelers in the right direction. 12-12

The Hollywood dates back to around 1950, when Route 13 was one of the main north-south highways through Delaware. Long before I-95 carried most of the traffic, this was the road for travelers heading up and down the East Coast. Motels, diners and gas stations lined the highway, all competing for the attention of passing motorists. A big neon sign certainly didn't hurt.