Welcome to the Surf Motel, located just one mile South of Fort Bragg on scenic Highway 1. The Surf boasted of the following:
54 Modern Units
King & Queen Beds
All Color Television
Guest Dial Phones
And if that wasn't enough, this motel's sun drenched site featured ample parking and the coveted approval of the American Automobile Association. The AAA is held in high regard by this motor tourist, due chiefly to my having been rescued on occasions too numerous to count.
The towering sign features the familiar wavelength representation of sand and sea rendered in light blue and white, and capped smartly by a stylish nautical flourish complete with seahorse medalion and fork of Triton...
Now here's the Surf Motel on a crisp May morning in 2007. A fresh coat of paint was being applied to the aging sign, which lost its fanciful crown a number of years ago. The sign retains some of its original impact due to its size, but clearly it was much more impressive when its adornments and detail remained in place.
I apologize for not getting the angle quite right on the 'now' picture, I had forgotten to take along my 'then' postcard when I visited Fort Bragg last year. I don't make it up there too often so I decided to go with what I had rather than shelve it until I could re-take the shot.
See you on the road---
3 comments:
Too bad they lost the seahorse and the trident- they gave the sign more personality.
The book Los Angeles Neon, points out that while vintage neon has a big fan base, vintage plastic backlit signs are often overlooked. The authors predicted they will be missed in the future.
As for the angle, I think it's fine: a much closer match than some then and now pics I've seen in books.
Thanks for visiting Namowal---
That book sounds like another interesting tome to pick up.
Good luck with your continuing animation efforts!
Amazing how the common thread of "loss" in these photos is the signage, and how important the signage is to the ambiance/look of these buildings. Great work!
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