Everything about the design here speaks to me. The sign colors, the scoreboard, the see-through shade grids. The motel, alas, is now gone.
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It’s still around! Not $5 any longer.
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Hadn’t been aware that Howard Hughes’ holdings extended to rural motels in Indiana, but what do I know? “Your hosts, Bert and Louise Stegerman”.
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The sign does all the work here, and is precisely the reason this is in my collection.
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The note on the back of my Imperial “400” Motel postcard speaks to the psychology of the times (May 1965), when even a small trip away from home was worthy of a short “thinking of you” postcard. It was sent to Eureka, CA from Medford, OR and says simply, “Hello, Everybody – Having Fun – Jim”.
Why not start sending batches of similar postcards out to your family and friends now, in 2025? It’s a nice analog corrective that beats a text message for sure. It might even turn up on some fella’s postcard blog in 2085.
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Can’t really get enough of these. See previous posts.
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The 40 Motel in Columbus boasts of having a “Salesman’s Lounge” as one of the big draws. Right now retro-hipsters are paying big dollars to decorate rooms like the 40 Motel did every day of the week.
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Hey, who’s hungry? “The only way to get FRESHER FISH is to Catch It Yourself”. There’s no clue on the card as to where Brannin’s is, other than 4979 N. Franklin Rd. Could it be the fresh shrimp capital of Chicago?
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Circa 1955. Gratuitous gams near the fallout shelter umbrella.
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A lovely “large letter” gem that was sent to Mr. A.C. Helg in Newark NJ from Oakland on August 25th, 1949 with a 1-cent George Washington stamp affixed. Now it’s mine.
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“No finer food served…..Anywhere” – and you can bet it was true. This is the sort of sign that, were it still around, I’d have yanked the car into a U-turn, parked and gotten out for the photo, as I’ve done so many times and places before. It is sadly gone, but lives on in the hearts and digestive tracts of Ocalans.
The Postcard Motel 