Du Beau Motel
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Standing high above the rooftops near old Route 66, the Motel DuBeau sign can be spotted long before the motel itself. The steel tower has guided travelers toward Phoenix Avenue for generations, although missing letters have occasionally left it introducing the place as “Mo DuBeau.”

Albert and Marie DuBeau began construction in 1927 and officially opened the 20-room Motel Inn in August 1929. It was Flagstaff’s first purpose-built motel and one of the country’s earliest motor courts. Advertised to “the better class of motorist,” rooms started at $2.50 a night.

Guests received carpeting, private tiled bathrooms, and enclosed steam-heated garages to protect their automobiles from Flagstaff’s freezing weather. The original garage bays were destroyed by fire in 1975.

DuBeau Motel
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

When Route 66 moved one block north in 1934, the motel was left behind the railroad tracks. Albert responded by erecting an enormous neon tower so motorists could still find the property. The nearby Downtowner put up its own tower, starting a small roadside sign war. Both signs are still standing.

After some lean years as a hostel, the DuBeau was purchased by John and Lisa McCulloch around 1999. They gradually restored the property, updated the rooms, and kept the old motel welcoming travelers.

UPDATE: Here's a more recent shot of the DuBeau sign in Flagstaff, including a view of the motel turned hostel. The letters on the tower sign still stand out though a couple appear to be losing their paint a bit more. 05-13

UPDATE: Motel DuBeau remains open near the original Route 66 alignment. Its towering historic sign survives, although the aging neon has experienced occasional electrical problems. 09-26

See more at Roadside Peek's Spotlight on the Du Beau Motel

Gateway Motel (Closed)
Williams, AZ
Photo courtesy Jodey Elsner

Here’s a look at the Gateway Motel on the western end of Route 66 in Williams. The real eye-catcher was its wild double-boomerang marquee, with two sharp shapes crossing past one another like something that had just landed from the Space Age. Add in the starbursts, angled lettering and neon tubing, and this was not a sign that quietly blended into the background.

The Gateway opened in 1936, when Route 66 traffic was still growing and Williams was becoming a busy overnight stop in northern Arizona. Travelers could spend the night here before continuing west toward California or turning north for a side trip to the Grand Canyon. The motel name was a natural fit for a town that has long advertised itself as the gateway to the canyon.

Gateway Motel 1999
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The original roadside sign was probably much simpler. The familiar double-boomerang marquee appears to date from the late 1950s or 1960s, when motel owners were trying just about anything to catch the eyes of passing motorists. Boomerangs, starbursts and sharp angles were all part of the Googie and Space Age look sweeping across the roadside. The Gateway managed to fit several of those ideas onto one pole.

By then, Williams had plenty of motels competing along Route 66, so having an unforgettable sign really mattered. Drivers had only a few seconds to make up their minds, and the Gateway’s crossed boomerangs practically jumped out toward the highway. It must have looked especially good after dark when the neon outlined all those points and curves.

After the motel closed, the property was not simply cleared away. Around 2009 or 2010, the former rooms were converted into small shops and commercial spaces known as Gateway Plaza. The old motel office became JD’s Espresso and Internet Cafe, while the surviving marquee was altered to advertise the plaza and coffee shop. It no longer promised a room for the night, but the big boomerangs continued doing their job beside Route 66.

Gateway Motel 2000
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The sign has since started yet another chapter. It was removed from the former motel property and relocated a short distance west to the Route 66 Museum and Gift Shop. After guiding motel guests and later pointing toward coffee, the old sign now stands among other roadside relics from the Mother Road. Not a bad retirement for a pair of giant boomerangs.

UPDATE: The Gateway Motel is now the Gateway Plaza, transformed from the motel just before 2010. The old motel office has been transformed into a coffee shop called JD's Espresso and Internet Cafe. Fortunately, the sign was reused for the new business instead of unceremoniously dumped. 01-09

UPDATE: Here are more photos of the Gateway Motel from back in the day. 09-21

UPDATE: The Gateway Motel has been repurposed as the Gateway Plaza commercial complex. Its distinctive double-boomerang sign was saved and moved to the nearby Route 66 Museum and Gift Shop, where it remains on display. 09-26

Gateway Motel 1999 close up Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Gateway Plaza Williams, AZ Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner

Frontier Motel
Truxton, CA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The Frontier Motel and Cafe is one of those lonely Route 66 landmarks that seems to rise straight out of the Arizona desert. Its tall roadside marquee has been repainted from time to time, including a freshening in 2002, helping it survive the relentless desert sun.

Built in 1952 by Alice Wright, the Frontier stood along the old highway between Valentine and Hackberry. The combination of motel rooms and a cafe made it a welcome stopping place for truckers, tourists, and anyone else traveling this remote stretch of the Mother Road.

The Frontier Motel is located in Peach Springs, AZ right along the Route 66. The Frontier opened for business in 1952. The paint on the sign was recently restored around 2002.

Frontier Motel
Truxton, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Ray and Mildred Barker purchased the property soon after it opened and operated it for decades. The tall sign advertised both the motel and cafe, making sure travelers knew they could find a room and something to eat at the same roadside stop.

UPDATE: The Frontier Motel sign is looking a bit worn lately. Not sure if the motel is still open for business based upon what the place looked like the past few times I passed by. 04-17

UPDATE: The Frontier no longer rents rooms or serves meals, but the buildings and marquee survive. The property is undergoing a gradual preservation effort intended to restore it as a Route 66 museum and roadside stop. Despite the “CA” identification in the original photo files, the Frontier is located in Truxton, Arizona. 08-26

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