Riviera Courts--Motel - Miami OK
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 36° 51.940 W 094° 54.006
15S E 330630 N 4081655
While long gone, the remnant of the Riviera Courts Motel, was an important part of Route 66 in its heyday. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Waymark Code: WM15KAJ
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2022
Views: 3
Located directly west of the city of Miami, less than a mile beyond the Neosho River Bridge constructed in 1937, the Riveria Courts with its white walls and blocked parapets stills seems to wait conspicuously for travelers leaving the town and offering the promise of an easy, comfortable stop for those arriving into the Miami area on Route 66.
This motor court a distinct form of lodging in which the units are integrated under one roofline is a long series of units arranged in a wide V with the operator's house and office in the center. Constructed in 1937, this is a single story structure made of oversize brick with lodging units generally separated by garages. A gravel drive encircles the house and allows automobile access to each motel unit. Cultivated trees also encircle the house, inside the drive, and are the only trees in or near the property. It is not known if there were additional trees on the west side in a field that has since been cultivated.
The tourist court known at different times in its life as Riviera Courts (the earliest found name) and Holiday Motel (a long time name familiar to locals). The motor court was a specific kind of lodging in the evolution of buildings that became modem motels, and comes at a point following the tourist camps and cabins, where camping facilities had evolved into separate cabins arranged in a pattern. As the standard account of the motel in America notes, "Motor courts were structured like cottage courts except that room units were totally integrated under single rooflines usually as a single building. "When they were arranged in a U or V, the interior courtyard served as a common space for interaction with other guests or for play for the children.
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