THE ARCHIVE / Themes

Motels.

A motel announces itself twice: first to the moving driver, then to the arriving guest. In these photographs, compare the sign with the rooms behind it. A flamboyant promise can stand beside remarkably modest buildings. Margolies also recorded the quieter details—entrances, office windows and repeated doors—that turn a roadside stop into a temporary address. Follow a state or year filter to see how similar arrangements acquired different local identities.

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979 photographs

25–48 / 979

Pinecrest Motor Court, Route 5, Barton, Vermont — Barton, Vermont1984
Pinecrest Motor Court, Route 5, Barton, Vermont

Palomar Motel, diagonal view 1, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana — Shreveport, Louisiana1982
Palomar Motel, diagonal view 1, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana

Palomar Motel, frontal view, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana — Shreveport, Louisiana1982
Palomar Motel, frontal view, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana

Palomar Motel, cabin view, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana — Shreveport, Louisiana1982
Palomar Motel, cabin view, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana

Palomar Motel, view of another cabin unit, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana — Shreveport, Louisiana1982
Palomar Motel, view of another cabin unit, Routes 79 & 80, Shreveport, Louisiana

Stevens Motel (1940), cabin, Route 17, Yulee, Florida — Yulee, Florida1979
Stevens Motel (1940), cabin, Route 17, Yulee, Florida

Stevens Motel (1940), heron screen door for above cabin, Route 17, Yulee, Florida — Yulee, Florida1979
Stevens Motel (1940), heron screen door for above cabin, Route 17, Yulee, Florida

Sunset Motor Court, overall view 1, Route 1, Trenton, Maine — Trenton, Maine1995
Sunset Motor Court, overall view 1, Route 1, Trenton, Maine

Blue Haven Motor Court Cabin, view 2, Route 1, Saco, Maine — Saco, Maine1984
Blue Haven Motor Court Cabin, view 2, Route 1, Saco, Maine

Trails End Motel, view of another unit, Route 2, Hanover, Maine — Hanover, Maine1984
Trails End Motel, view of another unit, Route 2, Hanover, Maine

Shangri-La Motel, longest diagonal view, Wyatt Earp Boulevard, Dodge City, Kansas — Dodge City, Kansas1979
Shangri-La Motel, longest diagonal view, Wyatt Earp Boulevard, Dodge City, Kansas

Shangri-La Motel, vertical close-up view, Wyatt Earp Boulevard, Dodge City, Kansas — Dodge City, Kansas1979
Shangri-La Motel, vertical close-up view, Wyatt Earp Boulevard, Dodge City, Kansas

DeSoto Motel, diagonal view 2, Route 49B, Helena, Arkansas — Helena, Arkansas1980
DeSoto Motel, diagonal view 2, Route 49B, Helena, Arkansas

Fountain Motel, diagonal view 1, Hot Springs, Arkansas — Hot Springs, Arkansas1979
Fountain Motel, diagonal view 1, Hot Springs, Arkansas

Fountain Motel, office and motel units, Hot Springs, Arkansas — Hot Springs, Arkansas1979
Fountain Motel, office and motel units, Hot Springs, Arkansas

Log Cabin Motel, closer front view, 830 Market Street, Morro Bay, California — Morro Bay, California1985
Log Cabin Motel, closer front view, 830 Market Street, Morro Bay, California

Log Cabin Motel, diagonal view, 830 Market Street, Morro Bay, California — Morro Bay, California1985
Log Cabin Motel, diagonal view, 830 Market Street, Morro Bay, California

Dillon Motel, diagonal view 1, B-24, Manitou Springs, Colorado — Manitou Springs, Colorado1980
Dillon Motel, diagonal view 1, B-24, Manitou Springs, Colorado

Le Mays Motel, Route 302, Barre, Vermont — Barre, Vermont1984
Le Mays Motel, Route 302, Barre, Vermont

Mission Motel, overall view, Mt. Vernon Avenue & Orange Street, San Bernardino, California — San Bernardino, California1977
Mission Motel, overall view, Mt. Vernon Avenue & Orange Street, San Bernardino, California

Mission Motel, diagonal view 1, Mt. Vernon Avenue & Orange Street, San Bernardino, California — San Bernardino, California1977
Mission Motel, diagonal view 1, Mt. Vernon Avenue & Orange Street, San Bernardino, California

Del Camino Motel, closer frontal view, Route 80, El Paso, Texas — El Paso, Texas1979
Del Camino Motel, closer frontal view, Route 80, El Paso, Texas

Aztec Motel, office and sign, Route 66, Albuquerque, New Mexico — Albuquerque, New Mexico2003
Aztec Motel, office and sign, Route 66, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Aztec Motel, office detail, Route 66, Albuquerque, New Mexico — Albuquerque, New Mexico2003
Aztec Motel, office detail, Route 66, Albuquerque, New Mexico