Drake Motel Stay Where The Stars Stay T-shirt

In this series of digital images I am focusing on the textures and colors of the aged surfaces found in the symbols and iconography of the American roadside. I have manipulated the image while seeking to maintain the feel of the original object.

Sandman Motel Print

Sandman Motel Print by Tom Spaulding

I have not come across a lot of signs so clearly from the 1930s!  This is a really neat art deco period motel sign from Reno, Nevada.  Apparently, the Sandman Motel was opened in the 1930’s, and the illuminated sign originally had animated lights that made the tires of the car appear to be in motion.  Just look at that great art deco styling and that typical 1930’s styled car on the Sandman Motel Sign!  The Sandman is apparently still in operation on East 4th Avenue in Reno, NV.

El Ray Motel

El Ray Motel Print by Tom Spaulding

I can’t find any details about the history of this hotel other than it’s on North Arlington Avenue in Reno, Nevada.  But I love the classic googie architecture.  Check out the double boomerangs in weathered yellow and green along with the amoeba-like sign and the stylized lettering.  This is a great find from a style that flourished in the space age of the 1950s and 1960s.

Anyone with additional history on this place, please chime in!

Roy's Motel & Cafe Sign Print

Roy’s Motel & Cafe Sign Print by Nicholas Pitt

This cool geometric sign is in Amboy, California.  Over the course of the 20th century, this place on old Route 66 slowly became a ghost town, but being in the dessert, it’s a well preserved ghost town.  For more on the history of Roy’s and Amboy, be sure to check out this link.  Roy’s grew into a thriving cafe and motel and is even now open as something of a museum on the mother road.  This print has some great vintage blues and reds along with a vibrant blue sky.

A Sign From Past Times

A Sign From Past Times Print by John De Bord

An excellent find from Georgetown, Colorado, in this photo print.  This beautiful old Conoco Gas station sign feels really at home on the streets of this small town.  This print doesn’t feel so much like a vintage sign as a vintage photo from another time.  Excellently captured, the sign appears to glow against the bright sun filled sky.

Reach For The Sky Print

Reach For the Sky Print by John De Bord

This incredible vivid print is of another old motel sign on Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado.  Apparently there’s  a good bit of local history tied up in this one.  Local Boxer, Eddie Bohn, opened a restaurant called the Pig ‘N Whistle here in 1926 on the birthday of his friend, Jack Dempsey.  It became the restaurant for athletes to dine locally.  In the 1930’s, the restaurant expanded to include a motel.  The restaurant closed in 1991 shortly before the death of Bohn, but the motel remains open today.

Check out all the neon in this classic old sign!  The paint colors have weathered significantly, but it just adds to that strong vintage feel.  A really wonderful capture of a fantastic old sign from yesteryear!

4 Rooms, Squared Print

4 Rooms, Squared Print by John De Bord

This wonderful black and white print features a close-up of a weathered old motel sign.  Apparently from the 1950s, the Stonewall Motel still stands on Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado.  This photo depicts only a portion of that sign so is a bit anonymous but still gives you the best of the vintage feel.  From rusting metal to the neon lights, it’s a great piece of Americana.

Colfax Avenue is Highway 40, one of two highways that served Denver before the Eisenhower Interstate system took hold.  It stands to reason that there could be some genuine vintage signs along this highway!