Thanks for joining us today and welcome to colorado.
In this video, I'd like to talk a little bit about the all American Motel.
When people from around the globe think of the U.S. Highway system, images of the motels
along route 66 is often what comes to mind.
These motels were typically family-owned and operated.
They brought with them this certain kind of kitche and charm that made its way deep into
the American culture.
Increasingly, these icons are being abandoned repurposed or demolished.
With that in mind, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on how these icons of American
innovation came to be and eventually fell from favor.
And as we go through, I'd like to share one such motel with you in its current condition.
Like all innovations, motels were created out of necessity.
One that began on October 1st, 1908 when Henry Ford unleashed his Model T on the American
market.
Thanks to his innovation of the assembly line he was able to offer his Model T for the shockingly
low price of $360.
For the first time, the American working class could afford a vehicle and they were hungry
to explore their vast country.
And this was a group that was growing daily.
By 1914, Ford had sold half a million cars.
With the advent of his Tin Lizzy car, the pace of sales only increased.
So much so by 1927, the Tin Lizzy comprized half of the cars on the road.
And by this time, Mr. Ford had sold over 15 million automobiles.
Now that the automobile was ubiquitous, the American people's desire to explore was at
an all-time high.
However, travelers and adventure seekers were growing restless with their local roadways.
Many of the roads were not yet paved and seldom connected from city to city.
The roads that did connect were long and established rails that were basically converted for automobile
use.
Travelers east of the Mississippi were fortunate to have colonial-era inns to stay in when
traveling between towns.
However, these Inns were few and far between.
In the western half of the country, drivers relied on camping and makeshift shelters to
rest in between drives.
As the number of people on the road increased the cost of the Inns increased too.
So much so that they eventually became too expensive for the average American consumer.
To alleviate this problem the US department of transportation set up camps across the
country.
The camps were simple and constructed of Army surplus tents.
On a quick side note, I found these paintings still on the wall rather striking.
With that aside, let's get back to how the Motels got here at all.
You see, the road improvements that the US citizens so desperately wanted would have
to wait because, after some of the largest economic growth in US history, the stock market
suddenly crashed in 1929 ushering in the Great Depression.
This period in US history was fraught with economic hardship, desperation, and hunger.
Fortunately, by 1933, America was roaring back from the Great Depression but many people
were still out of work and the roadways needed improvement.
The American's desire to explore had not gone away.
It was merely put on hold until the economy was stable again.
The work progress administration, WPA and similar organizations were able to put many
people back to work.
Building the roadways and electrical infrastructure that millions of Americans crave.
In 1939, a man named John Steinbeck envisioned a roadway that crossed the country from Chicago
to Los Angeles.
He called his design the road of Flight.
Later, his vision would become the internationally known US Highway 66, or Route 66.
The original name was designed to evoke the realities of Great Depression immigrants and
migrants.
These were people that were removed by failing crops, heartless banks, and storms from the
Great Dust Bowl.
This was a group that struggled to find a stable sense of home as they drifted along
the roads.
At this time, some of the earliest Motel concepts were developing in the western US.
These were small simple structures with a door, bed, and a window and that was about
it.
In fact, one of the most common designs was a Sears Robux Chicken Coop that was just repurposed
to be a Motel like a cabin structure.
The privately-owned cabins were sometimes painted to match design themes such as western
homestead or bavarian village.
This was one of the earliest attempts to bring a sense of home and familiarity along for
the road trip.
However, the cabins themselves sported little amenities often a bucket of water and wood
was included with your fees.
Um however if you wanted sheets, pillows, heck, even a mattress, that would have came
at an extra charge.
Back in the Eastern US, the colonial era inns were completely full.
But an alternative had developed.
People began to open up their homes to tourists.
They'd simply place a sign in the window saying room for tourists and instantly open up a
new income stream for their household.
They referred to these as tourist homes and from what i understand each one was as colorful
and unique as the owner itself.
In contrast to today's hotels, these were commonly found in town and required searching
out to be found.
This option gave travelers all of the comforts of home.
Well, at least all of the comforts afforded to them by the homeowners.
This practice was so common that the side industry of printing signs developed.
Buried in your attics or deep in an antique shop, you might find some of the original
cardboard signs that say room for tourists.
While the homes helped to bridge the gap, there were more Americans on the road than
there were rooms for rent.
And here's where the necessity for Motels comes in.
In the 1930s and 40's the eastern US concept of the Mom and Pops tourist home was combined
with the cabin concept developed int he western US.
These hybrid properties resembled what we've come to know as a Motel but at the time they
were refered to as cottage courts or tourist court.
In fact, the area that we're exploring was a cottage court from the '30s.
You see, unlike tourist homes or downtown hotels, these were automobile friendly.
Many sported carports and filling stations.
The cottage court was becoming a classy alternative to the damp cabins and smoky campfires.
They were designed to catch the eye of the passing and weary travelers.
And this is where the tradition of silly and somewhat Gody themed Motel signs came into
existence.
Later cafes and restaurants began to appear alongside the cottage courts.
These cafes were the innovation hub for American cuisine.
Bringing to us some of the staples that we cook and eat to this day.
In fact, it was at the sanders court and cafe were Harlin sanders created the first batch
of fried chicken.
And as you may be aware, Harlin later took the name The Kentucky Colonel and founded
the KFC company.
To me, it's a little ironic that he left the lodging industry to help create the fast-food
industry, both of which are what we call satellite industries.
They were only made possible by Henry Ford's original invention of the car and the resulting
roadways that popped up around it.
But, many cottage court owners such as the Kentucky Colonel had good reason to leave
the lodging industry.
This is because the US Motel industry had its second big recession during WWII.
Many of the things that were required for a road trip were rationed for the war effort
such as gasoline, oil, tires.
All of it went to support the troops.
Many of the rationed materials were used to transport troops across the country to be
deployed.
During this process, soldiers sought areas of the country that they later wanted to revisit
with their families or during leisure time.
It was US President Dwight D Eisenhower who became frustrated with how long it took to
transport troops and tanks across the country.
he pushed for a highway system that mimicked the german autobon.
His push succeeded and gave birth to the federal interstate highway system FIHS.
Fortunately for the cottage court owners, they had many years before the interstate
system would snake through the country and circumvent the state highways that they relied
on such as Route 66.
This time was the golden age of the American Motel.
Post-war American families were ready to explore the country once again.
This time the name cottage court gave way to the motor court.
Further verifying and cementing America's love and reliance on the automobile.
The motor court specifically catered to automobile owners and were no longer individual cabins
rather they were multiple rooms under one roof.
Each one brought its own breed of neon lights bright signs and eye-catching flair.
The buildings themselves were plain and functional concrete block structures, however, they sported
these elaborate facades that reflected the flavor and style of the region in which that
particular motel was in.
The name motel was coined in San Luis Bisbo California by the milestone motel.
The name has stuck to this day to refer to hotels that are directly off the roadway.
But as we know, the good times came to an end for the majority of the mom and pop motels.
By the early '60s, the interstate highway system was very advanced and had circumvented
most of the state highway systems.
Family-owned motels and motor courts were being replaced by large chains such as Howard
Johnsons and Holiday Inn.
Today most of the Americans prefer the ease and the reliability of the interstate highway
systems and the numerous chain hotels that sit directly off of it.
You can still find thriving motels typically at the intersection of interstate and a state
highway.
Thanks for spending some time with us and please do like, comment and subscribe.