Motel Americana provides a slice of the kind of life that was made obsolete with the coming of the interstate highway system and chain hotels. Organized by state, this web site offers a nostalgic glimpse of spaces of travel. These places were fixed in location, but their existence relied on a network of travelers. The iconography of these sites expressed a distinctive regional culture at the same time they made a claim on the larger American narratives of freedom, progress, and dynamism. May the peeling paint and burnt lightbulbs be a gentle reminder for us of the fleeting moment of significance we inhabit.
1 comment:
Thanks so much for your kind post. Jenny Wood and I have run Motel Americana as a "mom and pop" website for over ten years, always hoping to celebrate architecture that is generally bypassed as more and more motorists choose interstates over blue highways. While we've been taking a break on updating the site (as I work to complete a book about the social implications of the interstate age) we will soon return to updating the site -- adding new photos, new stories, and new motels. Until then, Happy Motoring!
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