The Tracy Inn is a historic hotel located in Downtown Tracy. The inn opened in 1927 as a community project and designed in a Spanish theme. According to the Tracy Inn Building website, the place is on the National Register of Historic Places. 02-10
Located at 11th Street and Central Avenue in downtown Tracy, the building was born out of a major civic effort in the mid-1920s when hundreds of local residents and merchants banded together to fund a first-class community hotel. Designed by the Oakland architectural firm Slocombe & Tuttle, the landmark structure gracefully blends Spanish Colonial Revival styling with early Moderne touches, punctuated by an eye-catching corner bell tower and fire-resistant brick-and-stucco construction.
Tracy Inn
Tracy, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Positioned along the historic path where the Lincoln Highway and later U.S. 50 crossed the valley, the hotel served as a social and transit hub for decades under the dedicated care of the Margaros family. Crowned by its historic sign, the property earned a well-deserved spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. While the upstairs hotel rooms closed in 2022, the handsome building and its landmark signage remain an enduring cornerstone of the downtown streetscape, with bustling shops and businesses continuing to occupy the ground floor.
UPDATE: The Tracy Inn's upper-floor hotel operations are closed while ground-floor retail remains active, and its historic sign still survives atop the landmark building. 09-26
Mission Motel - 2004 (Closed)
Tracy, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the Mission Motel and its sign that carries the mission bell theme. The Mission Motel was a landmark roadside motel that shut down in recent years. Fortunately the sign itself has been reused for the new business. 02-10
Located along 11th Street in Tracy, the Mission Motel was established in 1938 right along historic U.S. 50, which also traced an earlier alignment of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway. Capitalizing on the steady stream of motorists journeying through the pass between the San Joaquin Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, the motor court steadily expanded with additional wings in 1945 and 1951.
Mission Motel sign close-up
Tracy, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Over the decades, architectural historians recognized the property as an exceptional regional showcase of early California theme-based auto court design. Mid-century chrome postcards proudly touted the complex as "Tracy's Most Centrally Located Motel," inviting road-weary travelers into comfortable family units outfitted with private kitchenettes, dinette sets, refrigerators, winter Panel Ray heating, and cool refrigerated air conditioning.
The true showstopper of the property, however, was its towering 30-foot-tall roadside marquee planted right by the pavement. Designed to evoke romantic visions of the historic mission trail, the soaring sign featured a distinct Mission Revival silhouette accented by an architectural bell arch and silhouette motif that caught the headlights of drivers from blocks away.
A view of the outside of the motel rooms (2004)
Tracy, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Although commercial lodging operations permanently ceased in 2004, the striking marquee avoided the wrecking ball. The tall steel framework was rescued and repurposed to advertise the commercial development that took over the parcel, allowing an iconic piece of Tracy's mid-century highway heritage to continue watching over the boulevard.
UPDATE: As stated earlier, the Mission Motel located along Highway 50 in Tracy closed and a new business has taken over. 11-20
UPDATE: The Mission Motel has closed its lodging operations, but its landmark 30-foot mission bell-themed roadside sign structure was preserved and refaced for a new commercial plaza along 11th Street. 09-26
Town House Motel
Tracy, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Town House Motel is a familiar sight to see along the main drag in the Northern California town of Tracy. 02-10
Located along West 11th Street near Roosevelt Avenue, the Town House Motel sits right on the historic artery that once carried the Lincoln Highway, U.S. 48, and U.S. 50 through the heart of town. Built during the boom years of post-war highway travel before Interstate 205 bypassed the central commercial district, the motor court provided long-distance travelers an easy and welcoming stop. Designed in a traditional single-story layout, its 20 guest rooms wrap around a central parking courtyard, offering the classic park-at-your-door convenience that defined the era.
Out near the sidewalk, the property's vintage street-side marquee—reading "Motel Town House"—has stood guard over 11th Street for generations. While the sign has seen updates and modifications to its original lighting over its decades along the old highway, the marquee continues to serve as an enduring roadside beacon. Under new ownership, the motel has seen recent remodeling to its guest rooms and front office, successfully carrying its mom-and-pop heritage into the modern day.
UPDATE: The Town House Motel remains open along 11th Street, and its classic roadside marquee continues to stand out front. through the lettering is completely modernized. 09-26
Tracy Motel (Demolished)
Tracy, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the Tracy Motel and its sign that points the way to the lodging area with a familiar red arrow. 02-10
Located along East 11th Street on the old U.S. 50 alignment, the Tracy Motel was once a bustling stop for cross-country motorists. Run in its mid-century heyday by Mr. and Mrs. James Hay, the motor court and service station offered road-weary travelers modern conveniences like furnace heat, air conditioning, and tile showers.
Guiding drivers off the busy corridor was a prominent roadside marquee featuring a bold red arrow pointing into the court. As highway traffic bypassed the old route, the property eventually declined. In 2001, the entire complex was razed to make way for a Tracy High School parking lot, and the classic red arrow marquee vanished from the streetscape.
UPDATE: The Tracy Motel was demolished in 2001 for high school parking, and its classic red arrow marquee is gone from East 11th Street. 09-26
Stardust Lodge
South Lake Tahoe, CA Photo courtesy Jim Zahniser
The Stardust Lodge in South Lake Tahoe still features an old roadside sign. Many of the other roadside worthy motel signs in the Lake Tahoe area have disappeared over the years, especially on the Nevada side of town. This sign for the Stardust Lodge is a survivor. 09-10
Located along Lake Tahoe Boulevard near the Nevada state line, the Stardust Lodge opened in 1966 during the Sierra resort boom. In the 1980s, the property transitioned into a vacation club while preserving its mid-century lodge feel.
UPDATE: The Stardust Lodge remains open on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, and its vintage starburst neon marquee still survives out front. 09-26
Tracy Inn
Tracy Inn
Mission Motel - 2004 (Closed)
Mission Motel sign close-up
Town House Motel
Tracy Motel (Demolished)
