Modernaire Motel - York (Springettsbury), PA
N 39° 58.744 W 076° 39.630
18S E 358213 N 4426754
Vintage motel has overlooked the Lincoln Highway for over 50 years. The landmark Modernaire Motel was built in Lincoln Highway's heyday and is as well known for its neon roadside as anything else. Also featured in Zippy the Pinhead comic strip.
Waymark Code: WM98ZX
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/16/2010
Views: 6
What a wonderful piece of Americana. This motel has remained unchanged since the 50s with the same neon and same art deco structure. It is a permanent fixture of the Lincoln highway and hosted many a weary traveler over the years. The hotel is featured in Brian Butko's book on the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania. From the book, The Modernaire Motel, built in 1949 to serve Lincoln Highway motorists before the Route 30 by-pass went in, sits at a prime spot on East Market Street at Mount Zion Road. Patrons used to enter the motel, according to Lincoln Highway expert Brian Butko, on the art deco building's rounded corner. But later, the entrance was moved to the side..
The hotel has received some exposure recently and is undergoing a kind of rebirth so to speak. A renewed interest in neon signs sparked the opening of repair shops which made it easier for the Modernaire Motel to have their signs refurbished. The repairing of the sign is an interesting story. The Modernaire's owners - Deb and Bob Straw - relinquished their American Automobile Association rating rather than replace their sign. The were told by a AAA rep to change the sign. They were told the sign was outdated and old. Appreciating their vintage motel they said NO!
The art deco Modernaire occupies the northeast corner of the Lincoln Highway (here, called East Market Street or Route 462) and Mount Zion Road, as it has since 1949 and through a half-dozen owners. The owners are Deb & Bob Straw. The motel's lobby also serves as the Straws' living room, its ceiling rising 30 or more feet above. In 1985, the Straws assumed ownership from her parents.
I found the following from a newspaper article:
Before the bypass and the growth of chain hotels, salesmen stayed at the Modernaire. That business dried up by 1980. Now, most of the guests are tourists.
"I get a lot of older people who are looking for a clean, economical motel," Straw says. A single guest can stay one night for $25 plus tax; two people, $30 plus tax. As Zimmerman did when he owned the motel, Straw's husband works a full-time job: as director of the York County Emergency Management Agency. "This is a family business," Straw says. "I have a brother who helps with the pool. I have another brother who helps with painting and repair work."
SOURCE
Address
3311 East Market Street
York, PA 17402-2620
(717) 755-9625?