In keeping with this year's Route 66 Centennial celebration, we're taking a look back at one of the defining features of America's golden age of automobile travel—the motor court. As a key Route 66 city, Monrovia welcomed thousands of motorists seeking a comfortable night's rest as they journeyed along the Mother Road.
Long before today's hotel chains lined the freeways, America's motorists found lodging in roadside auto camps, motor courts, and motor lodges. As automobile travel exploded in the 1910s and 1920s, communities developed places where travelers could park, rest, and spend the night close to their cars.
As these accommodations evolved, they added private cabins, bathrooms, restaurants, and service stations to better serve the growing number of motorists. In 1925, California introduced a new name when the Milestone Mo-Tel near San Luis Obispo combined the words "motor" and "hotel," giving rise to the now-familiar term motel.
With the arrival of Route 66 in 1926, roadside lodging flourished. Monrovia's motor courts and motels, particularly along Huntington Drive after the highway was realigned in the 1930s, welcomed generations of travelers exploring the Mother Road.
Motel “66”
A period postcard identifies Motel “66” at 913 East Huntington Drive, openly using its Route 66 location as part of its name and advertising. The postcard depicts the classic postwar motel arrangement: a low row of rooms, automobile parking immediately outside, prominent roadside signage, and easy highway access.
Long before today's hotel chains lined the freeways, America's motorists found lodging in roadside auto camps, motor courts, and motor lodges. As automobile travel exploded in the 1910s and 1920s, communities developed places where travelers could park, rest, and spend the night close to their cars.
As these accommodations evolved, they added private cabins, bathrooms, restaurants, and service stations to better serve the growing number of motorists. In 1925, California introduced a new name when the Milestone Mo-Tel near San Luis Obispo combined the words "motor" and "hotel," giving rise to the now-familiar term motel.
With the arrival of Route 66 in 1926, roadside lodging flourished. Monrovia's motor courts and motels, particularly along Huntington Drive after the highway was realigned in the 1930s, welcomed generations of travelers exploring the Mother Road.
Motel “66”
A period postcard identifies Motel “66” at 913 East Huntington Drive, openly using its Route 66 location as part of its name and advertising. The postcard depicts the classic postwar motel arrangement: a low row of rooms, automobile parking immediately outside, prominent roadside signage, and easy highway access.
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