Shamrock Court - Before and After

During my recent Route 66 trip, I came across an Ozark stone motel west of Sullivan, Missouri. After some research I found the name: Shamrock Court. No longer catering to overnight guests, the site continues to amaze with its handcrafted artistry.



(Photographs by Andrew Wood)

San Jose - Before and After

Here's a terrific collection of San Jose (California) before-and-after photos sponsored by the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association.

http://www.bvnasj.org/SanJose19752006.htm

These images show plainly how fundamentally San Jose has changed in the past three decades. Dusty, gritty streets are now lined with trees, and low, flat buildings are augmented (if not replaced) by towering glass structures. Once known as possessing a downtown best ignored after dark, San Jose is becoming a destination worthy of its size and historical significance.

Certainly the city continues to suffer from a range of urban ills, and I don't necessarily agree that new buildings necessarily represent an improvement over old ones. But no one can study these pictures and not be impressed with the breadth of the changes that have swept through this city.

(Images gathered and photographed by Gerald J. Greenleaf)

Aunt Hattie's - Before and After

Aunt Hattie's was a St. Petersburg landmark since opening in 1939 as a hamburger joint. By the time my mother made a habit of visiting in the 1970s, Aunt Hattie's had a new building and had expanded to become a pleasant sit-down restaurant known for its toy chest. I remember waiting for my chance to seize a prize after I cleaned my plate.


In a St. Petersburg Times article, Elizabeth Whitney recalls: "It was oranges in the foyer free for the taking, the player piano beating out East Side, West Side, hostesses in Gay Nineties garb, the children's treasure chest of free gifts . . . The servings were big; the prices were low."


A 1968 postcard reveals a much revamped restaurant, like the rambling building that I remember. Unfortunately, after suffering a rash of problems in the early eighties, including a much-publicized incident involving a dining room rat-attack and flood damage from a hurricane, Aunt Hattie's closed in 1985.

Do you have any memories of Aunt Hattie's? Please leave a comment. 

The Elite Court and Motel - Before and After

These undated cards reflect the changing size of Amarillo, Texas. The older card marks the city's population at 80,000. The newer card bumps the population up to over 100,000. Both cards, however, are clear about their preferred (or idealized) demographic. After all, this place isn't a Route 66 flop-house. This motel is "where elite tourists gather for ultra-modern accommodations." Today I can find no record of Elite's fate. If you know, please leave a comment.

Travelers Motel - Before and After

I love the name Travelers Motel, with its indisputable reminder that the local "hot pillow trade" will not find accommodations around here. With this post, I thought I'd add to my growing collection of before and after images, focusing on a long gone Savannah motel. The first card was likely produced in the 1940s, in an era when motels still included distinct cabins. I recently purchased this card to provide some historical context for the next two, which I've had for a long time.
The middle card is postmarked 1954. Notice the word "modern" on the marquee. By the mid-fifties, the use of "modern" as a descriptor was beginning to lose its potency. Still, numerous moteliers continued to employ the term as an assurance of cleanliness and efficiency, connecting their properties to a vaguely tangible feeling of progress. However, the bottom card, postmarked 1967, demonstrates how the word had almost entirely fallen from use. What remained was the motel's too-clever-by-half slogan: "Enjoy the 'rest' of your life."
The middle and bottom cards also feature brief handwritten remarks. The bottom includes a basic "having a swell time" note, along with a reminder that home remains the best place of all. But the middle card is actually kind of sweet. The addressee is "Mr. Whitney Green," nothing surprising there. But the note is clearly written to a little boy, adding some pathos to this card: "Dear Whitney: Are you being a good boy? Did you have a good time at Brenda's? Hope you had a nice party. Lots of love from Mama & Daddy." The author also adds a piece of marginalia, "Yesterday we went over a high bridge." I'll bet Whitney was pretty impressed by that news.

I have no idea of the fate that befell the Travelers Motel. Recent google searches reveal no news of whether this property (advertised as being eight miles south of Savanna, Georgia, on highway 17) was razed or simply renamed. If you know anything about the Travelers Motel, post a reply!

Hunt's Motel - Before and After

This undated postcard depicts an LA-area motel in full nautical mode: portholes, streamlining, balustrades, and even a gorgeous aquamarine accent. The 2005 photo (below) reveals a mostly similar structure lacking the charm of its early years.

(Photo by Andrew Wood)

St. Francis Hotel Courts - Before and After

The St. Francis Hotel Courts were an Alabama-based offshoot of the Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts, a southern motel chain often cited as an inspiration for more ambitious brands such as Holiday Inn. The authors of The Motel in America explain that W.G. "Mac" McGrady refurbished the Mobile property in 1968, abandoning the ersatz Spanish mission look for something more "contemporary." The property has since been demolished.



Learn More:

Highway Host: Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts: Mobile page

Jackle, J.A., Sculle, K.A., & Rogers, J.S. (1996). The motel in America. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Tourist City Motel - Before and After

One of the great things about collecting postcards is the opportunity to study the changing face of roadside America. Buildings viewed as “contemporary” one year become old fashioned and cheesy soon thereafter. Stewart Brand expertly explores this phenomenon in his book How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built, in which he astutely describes the complex interplay of the terms we use to describe the built environment:

“The word ‘building’ contains the double reality. It means both ‘the action of the verb BUILD’ and ‘that which is built’ – both verb and noun, both the action and the result. Whereas ‘architecture’ may strive to be permanent, a ‘building’ is always building and rebuilding. The idea is crystalline, the fact fluid” (p. 2).

By way of illustration, consider the Tourist City Motel in Winchester, Virginia. The first card, postmarked 1958, reveals a typical “tourist court” design: detached duplex cottages with plain “moderne” facades. The second card offers no postmark to aid in dating, though I would guess that this photo was taken no more than five years later. In that time, owners refashioned the property substantially, adding flagcrete on the surfaces and colonial-style “chimneys” atop a new roof, transforming the discrete cottages into a coherent motor court typical of the era.

Today I am told the motel still stands, its sign little changed. Check out a photograph of the motel sign from Debra Jane.