page_title: Motel Inn
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Motel Inn / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: Title: Motel Inn, San Luis Obispo, Cal., U. S. 101, North City Limits Subjects: Motels Places: California &gt; San Luis Obispo (county) &gt; San Luis Obispo Notes: Title from item. Extent: 1 print (postcard)&#160;: linen texture, color&#160;; 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. Accession #: 06_10_010137
context_page_description: The Motel Inn, located in San Luis Obispo, California, was the first motel in the world. It opened on December 12, 1925, and closed in 1991. The building is now the administrative building of the Apple Farm hotel next door.
context_section_description: The original plan of the Milestone Mo-Tel was to include both bungalows and attached apartments with parking outside each unit, though some would have a private garage. Each location of the chain was to include laundry facilities, a grocery store, and a restaurant.
  Each unit included an indoor bathroom with a shower, obviously a level of privacy not found at campgrounds.
  The exterior of the buildings was modeled after the Spanish missions in California; the three-stage bell tower was a reflection of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside.
caption: Postcard c.1940s
exif: {}