The Fern, Kenoza Lake, NY.
We spend a good deal of time here at CC devoted to cars, their history, and the world around them. Hotels and motels are clearly part of that world, and most of us have spent quite a few hours in one or the other. With that in mind, let’s reminisce about some of the available lodging during the 1970s.
Today’s images showcase different types of lodging, from the humble to the upscale. And this being CC, each shot was chosen not only for the variety of locales but for the assortment of vehicles as well. These images being from the 1970s, lovers of the Brougham era should find much to rejoice in. But not to worry, there are other options interspersed for those who prefer otherwise.
The featured photos are from the John Margoiles collection of the Library of Congress. They have been mildly color-corrected for this post.
Grossinger’s, Liberty, NY.
Bavarian Manor Annex, Purling, NY.
Modern Cabins, North Seattle, WA.
Granit Hotel & Country Club, Kerhokson, NY.
Alamo Plaza Motor Hotel, Houston, TX.
Bavarian Manor, Purling, NY.
Brown’s Hotel, Loch Sheldrake, NY.
Colonial Hotel, Cape May, NJ.
I remember places like these ~ I didn’t much stay in such places until adulthood .
-Nate
Surprisingly, the Alamo Plaza Motor Hotel in Houston is still standing (probably not too many 1940s-era commercial buildings have made it this long in Houston). Looks like it’s now in pretty rough condition, and functions as a long-term motel/apartment complex.
Then-and-now comparison below. Google StreetView link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/k685nD6cugBioKdG8
Love it. I especially like seeing so many great GM brands in the lots. I immediately noticed not one but two 1976 to 1979 vintage Cadillac Seville’s parked in front of the second to last picture of Brown’s Hotel. One is the darker maroon/red and the second is the lighter maroon/red with white top. Oh, those were the days that put me in my glory.
For a moment, I thought the one who’s maroon/red with white top was a early 1981 K-car Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant.
Ah, two C bodies, a 71 New Yorker and 72 Newport it seems. Big blocks, torsion bar, and the 727 Torqueflite. What is not to like.
Thanks for these great pictures. I swear, like many others, my father was the inspiration for Clark Griswold in the Vacation movies. I spent a good amount of time in the back seat of our 1977 Caprice Classic motoring thru New England and upstate NY. My father took his two weeks of vacation seriously and would open his AAA Map of the Eastern United States and plot out our trips. Does anyone remember fold out maps? The night before departure the Caprice would be loaded with suitcases, tennis rackets, and my father’s beloved golf clubs. The next morning, we would set off early complete with picnic basket/cooler as there was no time to be spent stopping at diners or Howard Johnson’s. My favorite trips were to The Lake Placid Clu-Lake Placed New York, Vermont, and Cape Cod. Honorable mention goes to Southampton New York but after excessive traffic on the Long Island Expressway my father vowed never again. Thanks again for these pictures and I do enjoy your whole series.
“Modern Cabins” looks like an abandoned gas station. They really thought someone would stay there?
Caught my eye too. “Modern” for the “Flintstone’s /Rubble’s possibly.
Don’t ya wonder , what year the picture was taken? lol
The picture was apparently taken in 1977 – so long after the Cabins’ heyday.
I’m pretty sure the picture was taken on N. Aurora Ave. My best guess is that it’s the intersection of N. Aurora and 98th St. There’s still a few old cabins left on that block of 98th St. (used as commercial offices now, but you can tell they were once residential). But that’s just a guess.
Those cabin-style lodges were turning into weekly “long-stay” motels in the 60s. Now “long-stay” means meth motel, but they were already disreputable back then.
The blue “Pontiac” , at “Grossingers”, is “me”! “Brown’s” has a “Pinto squire”. ((remote chance it’s a “Bobcat”))
Wow look at how long that blue Chrysler looks compared to the Ford wagon and beige Pontiac (?), the proportions of those Fuselage models were wild!
Many of the New York State hotels are located in the “Borscht Belt” of Sullivan & Ulster county. Many Jewish families from the NYC area would vacation at these hotels and resort for the summer from the 1920’s thru the 1970’s.
As time passed, the area fell out of favor. There are on-line photos of several of these hotels abandoned and in a derelict state.
Brown’s Hotel, Loch Sheldrake, NY:
The hubcaps on the Green Mark III look like they belong on a Mercury.