Part 1 of 2.
I've been doing a lot of night time bikes around L.A. and have become interested in the odd little motels that I see scattered across town. Most of these are older properties that feature the "motor court" U-shaped layout, with individual cottages or sections perpendicular to the road, semi-circular driveways, and a central common area. Others have a Tiki or what you might call a "poor man's streamline moderne" design. Many have neon signs and in some cases, they actually work.
Some motels are barely noticeable in the daytime, but really stand out at night.
These old places have been slowly vanishing for a long time, so I thought I'd photograph a few favorites while they are still standing. Though the look isn't always "Noirish", most of them do have a certain throwback appeal. Motels with worst reviews are often the best photo subjects.
I started photographing these motels about two months ago, around the time I began thinking about a new version of e_r's inaugural NLA photo. Both of these pursuits involved low light and night time photography, and for a low level hobbyist like me, were fairly challenging. Dusk and dawn are the best times to capture the signs and lights, with some ambient light on the buildings. If the building is on the eastern side of a street or intersection sundown is usually fine. But if it's on the west side then the camera needs to face west, and backlight tends to spoil the shot. In those cases the only answer was to wake at 0500 and be on site before sunup.
Sometimes everything is just right, but the neon sign is switched off. (Sometimes a manager would take pity on me, and switch it on.)
Islander Motel, 1460 Colorado Blvd. (near Hartwick), Eagle Rock
Rose Bowl Motel, 1533 Colorado Blvd. (near Dahlia Dr.), Eagle Rock
Providencia Motel, 108 E Providencia Ave. (near San Fernando Rd.), Burbank
Pink Motel, 9457 San Fernando Road (near Truesdale St.), Sun Valley
When Joseph Thomulka moved his family from Pennsylvania to California, he decided to build a pink motel, and in 1947, he did. In 1949, he added the Pink Café, now known as Cadillac Jack's Café, and in 1959 he added a fish-shaped swimming pool. Thomulka's pink paradise had an auspicious location on San Fernando Road, which was an early connector between Los Angeles and points north that showed all signs of becoming a major thoroughfare. Many motels and restaurants sprang up along its length during the postwar boom, but the Pink Motel is one of very few to have survived; the route faded in importance when I-5 went in, and the area is now largely industrial. The single-level motel is a classic postwar type, while the tall Moderne tower of the café still beckons the curious to come take a look. This place is a pink survivor, and a wonderful example of the mid-century roadside commercial resources that are so swiftly disappearing from the landscape.
https://www.laconservancy.org/locati...and-pink-motel
Pink Cloud Motel, 9355 Sepulveda Blvd, (near Plummer St.) North Hills
When I ventured inside the courtyard for a photo the manager chased me away with extreme prejudice. So while this place says little architecturally, it
does hold special memories for me.
Olive Motel, 2751 Sunset Blvd. (near Silver Lake Blvd.), L.A.
Paradise Motel, 1116 Sunset Blvd. (near Beaudry), L.A.
Royal Viking Motel, 2025 3rd St. (near Alvarado), L.A.
All photos mine. To be continued...