Imperial Motor Inn (Demolished)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Imperial Motor Inn sign was part of the once-familiar Imperial “400” chain, whose motels appeared along highways across the West. Its bold lettering let Route 66 travelers know exactly where to pull in for the night. 09-21
Before the Imperial arrived, the property held the Pine Motor Hotel, an older court made up of individual roadside cabins. Those buildings were cleared for the newer two-story Imperial 400, which featured exterior walkways, an L-shaped room wing, and a swimming pool.
After the Imperial 400 chain was sold off in 1987, the Kingman property continued for a time as the independently named Imperial Motor Inn. It eventually closed and was demolished sometime between 2006 and 2011. The sign, rooms, and swimming pool were all removed.
UPDATE: A Walgreens and its parking lot now occupy the former Route 66 motel property. 09-26
Orchard Inn Motel
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Travel along Andy Devine Avenue and the folded-plate roof at the Orchard Inn Motel still gives away its Space Age beginnings. The sharp zigzag canopy rises over the office, looking more like something designed for a futuristic airport than a roadside motel. 09-21
The property opened in 1964 as part of the Astro Motel chain. During the height of the Space Race, the Astro name and futuristic architecture were just the thing to catch the attention of families heading west along Route 66. Motels were no longer satisfied with offering a bed and a parking space. They wanted passing motorists to feel as though they had arrived somewhere new and exciting.
That folded roof served as the Astro chain’s visual trademark. Its repeating peaks created deep shadows during the day and a dramatic silhouette after dark. Travelers familiar with the chain could recognize an Astro Motel before getting close enough to read the sign. Similar Astro designs appeared in Winslow, Pasadena, and several other western cities.
The folded plate Astro Motel look
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The original Kingman motor court offered 34 rooms along with refrigerated air, telephones, kitchenettes, free radios, and a heated swimming pool. Complimentary coffee was available around the clock, a useful perk for anyone leaving before sunrise or arriving after a long night on the road. These were the sort of conveniences that made a motel seem downright modern in 1964.
Check out the familiar folded plate roof
Within a few years, the property joined the Friendship Inns referral network and became the Space Age Motel. The new name kept its cosmic personality going while connecting the independent motel to a larger reservation and advertising system. The roof required no explanation. It already looked like something from the Space Age.
After several ownership changes, the rockets apparently landed and the motel settled into the much more earthbound Orchard Inn name. The roadside sign was altered to match each identity and received another repaint around 2016. It now carries bold Orchard Inn lettering and a Route 66 shield, while parts of the older sign structure remain underneath. Some neon elements appear to survive, although it is unclear how reliably they still light.
The A-frame
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Orchard Inn sits directly on Kingman’s old Route 66 strip, across from the longtime Dambar Steakhouse. Unlike the former Astro Motel in Winslow, which became Motel 10 and later closed, this location remains in business. Travelers can still pull beneath that wonderful folded roof more than 60 years after the first Astro guests arrived.
The motel’s name and sign have changed, and the swimming pool is no longer the main attraction, but the office canopy still provides a fine flash of mid-century optimism. One look at those zigzags and it is easy to imagine the old Astro sign glowing out front again.
UPDATE: The Orchard Inn remains open in Kingman. Its altered roadside sign survives, and the distinctive folded-plate roof from its Astro Motel days remains intact. 09-26
Skyline Motel (Gone)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The old sign outside the Skyline Motel made sure travelers knew that kitchenettes were available for a longer stay in Kingman. Its tall arrow-shaped frame had just the sort of roadside presence needed near the outer edge of town. 09-21
The motel opened in 1955 along Route 66 with a traditional L-shaped motor-court layout. Rooms faced a central parking area, allowing travelers to pull in from the highway and unload close to their doors. The kitchenettes were especially useful for families, workers, and winter visitors planning to stay more than a night.
The Skyline was remodeled in 1960 and again in 1973 as owners tried to keep pace with newer motels appearing along the highway. Its location on the northeastern end of Andy Devine Avenue made it one of the first or last Kingman motor courts encountered, depending on the direction of the road trip.
The motel eventually stopped accepting overnight travelers and became Skyline Studios & Kitchenettes, also known locally as the Skyline Apartments. The buildings and old roadside footprint survive, but the distinctive Skyline Kitchenettes sign was removed sometime before the 2020s. Whether it was saved or scrapped is unknown.
UPDATE: The former Skyline Motel remains in use as long-term studios and apartments. Its vintage arrow-shaped roadside sign is gone. 09-26
Motel sign at Silver Spoon Restaurant
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The faded green sign beside the former Silver Spoon Restaurant in Kingman once belonged to the Kingman Motel. Some of the old neon tubing was still attached when these photos were taken, making it an interesting Route 66 mystery along Andy Devine Avenue. 09-21
The motel was once part of a roadside complex that included the Tideway Cafe and a Flying A gas station. An early 1960s Denny’s with a distinctive Googie-style boomerang roof was later built next door.
That restaurant became the Silver Spoon in 1993 and operated until 2009. The building reopened in 2014 as Rutherford’s 66 Family Diner.
The Kingman Motel was demolished in the late 1990s, leaving behind a vacant lot. Somehow, its battered old sign outlasted the rooms.
UPDATE: The motel remains gone, but its weathered sign was still standing beside Rutherford’s 66 Family Diner in recent photos. The remaining neon appears to be dark. 09-26
The Westerner Motel (Rem.)
Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Heading east through Williams on old Route 66, watch for The Westerner Motel along the left side of the road. The small motor court has a familiar roadside layout, with its rooms facing the parking area and a sign out front advertising cable TV, kitchenettes and other comforts for the night. 09-21
The Westerner was built during the postwar Route 66 travel boom and contains only 24 rooms. It is a fairly simple property without the flashy architecture found at some Mother Road motels, but that is also part of its charm. Travelers could pull into the lot, park close to their room and be settled in without much fuss.
Its location on the western side of downtown also placed guests within easy walking distance of the old highway’s restaurants, shops and neon signs. The historic Williams Depot and the Grand Canyon Railway are nearby, making the motel a convenient stop for visitors heading north to the canyon.
The Westerner Motel
Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Williams was the last Route 66 town to be bypassed by Interstate 40, holding onto its steady stream of highway traffic until 1984. The Westerner survived the change and continued welcoming guests while several neighboring motor courts eventually closed or disappeared.
The motel still looks much as it did when these photos were taken. The low-rise buildings and drive-up room arrangement remain, although the roadside branding has changed. The old Westerner panel was removed from the sign and replaced with the familiar red and blue Motel 6 logo.
UPDATE: The former Westerner remains open as Motel 6 Williams, AZ on historic Route 66. The original motel buildings survive, but the independent Westerner name and its old roadside sign face are gone. 09-26
Imperial Motor Inn (Demolished)
The Imperial Motor Inn sign was part of the once-familiar Imperial “400” chain, whose motels appeared along highways across the West. Its bold lettering let Route 66 travelers know exactly where to pull in for the night. 09-21
The folded plate Astro Motel look
The A-frame
Skyline Motel (Gone)
Motel sign at Silver Spoon Restaurant
The Westerner Motel
