Rehab in works for old Nevada hotel damaged in earthquake
The El Rancho Hotel In Wells was damaged in the 2008 earthquake. Marilyn Newton/RGJ
From the Reno Gazette Journal: The El Rancho Hotel and Casino was the place to be in Wells, a small Elko County town 340 miles northeast of Reno.
Originally a hotel-casino and later a community center and banquet hall, the El Rancho served the town of 1,200 since it was built in 1949.
Longtime Wells resident Paul Bottari recalls how the prominent downtown building hosted quinceaneras, parties and live music. He remembers the restaurant always serving food and the bar always open.
“It was certainly a gathering place,” Bottari said.
Renovated Warrior Hotel in Sioux City on track to open this summer
The Warrior Hotel in Sioux City.
From Radio Iowa: Developers leading the restoration of a long-empty, historic hotel in downtown Sioux City say it’s on track to reopen this summer.
The Warrior Hotel was built in 1930 and closed in 1976. Restoration St. Louis is renovating the hotel and the adjacent Davidson Building into a nearly-150 room Marriott Hotel with 22 luxury apartments. Restoration’s Alex Cherubin says the pace of the project is really picking up.
Rye motel to undergo ‘authentic 1950s renovation’
Doug Palardy of New Castle has plans for a vintage makeover of the Pebble Cove Motel on Ocean Boulevard in Rye. Rich Beauchesne/Seacoastonline
From Edge Radio: RYE — Four months after opening his fourth local hotel, Doug Palardy announced he’s buying the Pebble Cove Motel on Ocean Boulevard, it will undergo “an authentic 1950s renovation,” then reopen July 1 as the Rye Motor Inn & Swim Club.
“I’ve always loved design,” said Palardy, whose interiors lean toward modern, even when they’re in historic buildings. “I studied theatrical design, sets and costumes, at Bennington College, so design is really part of my DNA since childhood.”
Palardy said he’s had his eye on the 10-room 1958 motel for five years and asked owners Stephen and Beth McCann annually if they’d sell. After a quarter century of running the 741 Ocean Blvd. motel, the McCanns said yes.
De Anza Motor Lodge open for business, iconic sign to be re-lit
From KRQE: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A historic Route 66 motel that had fallen into disrepair has a new life. The De Anza Motor Lodge on Central has been revamped and is now open for business.
The sign has been around since the ’50s but it has been two decades since it has been turned on. That’s changing this weekend.
One of the most iconic photos of Route 66 showcases the mother road in its prime. “All the neon that was on the street, it rivaled Las Vegas. For the brightness, the intensity, the motion, the animation was just a wonderful sight to behold,” says Johnny Plath, President, New Mexico Sign Association.
Family Works To Restore Historic Black-Owned Motel In North Carolina
Natalie Pass Miller and her father, Sam Pass help restore historic North Carolina house
From Newsone: A historic North Carolina house will get a new life. According to The Philadelphia Tribune, the Magnolia House Motel—an establishment that is embedded in the fabric of Black history—will be restored.
The motel—which is located in Greensboro—opened its doors in 1949. Owners Arthur and Louise Gist transformed the property into a bed and breakfast that included 14 rooms, a dining room, and several sitting rooms. During the segregation era, the motel was featured in the 1955 edition of The Green Book as a safe place for African Americans to stay while traveling in the South. Several music legends including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Tina Turner all stayed at the motel. Sports figures like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson spent time there as well. The house, which was constructed in 1889, also served as a meeting space for the NAACP.