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Nevada Mid-Century Modern Motels & Hotels

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La Concha Motel
Las Vegas, NV

2006:
2014:
The La Concha Motel was built in 1961. It was designed by Paul R. Williams who is also responsible for the nearby Guardian Angel Cathedral and the Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport. The rooms and pool at the La Concha Motel were demolished in 2003. The signs were moved to The Neon Museum's Boneyard. In 2006, just weeks after the photos in the top row above were taken, the cast concrete, shell-shaped lobby building was cut apart and moved to The Neon Museum. It is now used as the museum's lobby entrance. The final photo above shows the artwork which was originally installed in the motel above the registration desk. It was saved and is now in the same position, behind the desk at The Neon Museum. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. [map]

El Morocco Motel [gone]
Las Vegas, NV
The El Morocco Motel opened in 1961 right next door to the La Concha Motel. In the 1980s, this lobby building was converted into a gift shop and the motel portion was destroyed. This building was demolished in 2008. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Crest Inn [gone]
Reno, NV
The Crest Inn featured a great roof, stonework and other mid-century modern details. In 2019, the building was remodeled as the Renova Flats and the sign was removed. The mid-century features are gone now.

former Classic Lodge
Reno, NV		 Sundance Motel [gone]
Reno, NV
The Classic Lodge was built in 1964. It was later known as the Center Lodge. In 2016, the building was remodeled as apartments which are now known as the Center + Pine Apartments. For more, see this website. [map]

The Sundance Motel was built in 1964 as Tiny's Motel. At some point, the neon "Tiny's" letters were replaced with the "Sundance" backlit plastic letters. These photos are from 2014. By 2015, the building had been painted orange and the diamonds had been painted over. In 2019, it was announced the the building would be demolished for a new transit center. In 2020, the sign was saved by a collector for future public display. By 2021, the building was gone.

Nevada Inn
Boulder City, NV
The Nevada Inn was built as the Boulder City Auto Court in 1931. It consisted of 30 cabins and a filling station. In the 1950s, it became the Brown Derby Motel. From the looks of this sign, it must have become the Nevada Inn in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This motel office was built in 1968. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]