Help save a hip Wisconsin Motel

We love preservation efforts here at Mid Century Style Magazine and Motels are our secret passion – ok, maybe not so secret! 🙂 Christi and Mike are trying to save a fabulous atomic Motel in the Bayfield/Ashland area of Wisconsin and if you help them out you can get room credit for a great spot on […]
Lighting of the green at the Boots Motel!

We’ve been watching the restoration of the Boots Court Motel in Joplin, Missouri for years, from the “Save the Boots Motel campaign”, until they reopened in 2012 and we got to visit and check it out in June 2011. This latest, and possibly the last piece of the renovation not only highlights what a great […]
The influence of the Atom Bomb on 1950’s America

In surfing around the web, we find some folks who have done a fantastic job of capturing important parts of Mid-Century life. One of our favorites is Uncle Jack’s veryvintagevegas.com and in surfing his site we came across this fantastic online master’s thesis from Monique Gaudin on the topic of the Atomic bomb’s influence on […]
Googie and neon sign preservation and museums

One of our favorite mid-century things are Googie signs. There are plenty of photos out there, but one thing is certain and it’s that they’re a dying breed and ripe for preservation efforts. In case you’re not familiar with the term, “Googie” architecture, approximately from 1950-1970, is a futuristic or ultramodern derivative of art moderne […]
The Historic Boots Motel, Carthage, MO

If you’ve been a regular reader, you probably remember our articles in 2011 about saving The Boots Motel in Carthage Missouri. Save the Boots Motel In 2011 the bank put the property on the market, and it was snapped up by the current owners, sisters, Debye Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw. Fans of old Route 66, […]
The fabulous retro resorts of Wildwood New Jersey!

Our summer trip began with a place so fun and unique that my 12 year old son now counts it as his favorite place ever. Beaches, amusement parks, restaurants, activities and some of the most fantastic Mid-Century Resort Architecture and Googie signs anywhere! Where do you find all of this? New Jersey! The Wildwoods began […]
Usonian Inn, Wisconsin, for Sale

We love to spot great preservation efforts, and in this case, The Usonian Inn LLC, originally named the Rest Haven Motel, is already on the National Register of Historic places, however, what a deal: Location: E5116 Hwy 14, Spring Green, WI 53588 $655,900 Turn key operation, excellent investment. Spring Green’s first original Taliesin inspired Inn. Designed […]
Retro Roadtrip: The Blue Swallow, Tucumcari, NM

We have had the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM in our Motel Directory for a long time.It’s as much of an icon along Route 66 as the WigWam Motels. Owner Lillian Redman, a legend along Route 66 ran the motel from 1958 to 1997. By a stroke of luck, owners over the years after […]
Long Lost John Lautner Home

With this post, we welcome Marni Epstein, who’s going to be a fabulous addition to our team. Check out her biography and website! Editor Modern Architect John Lautner, who studied under the tutelage of Frank Lloyd Wright, is primarily known for his residential design. As a mid-century architect, his homes had a distinctly warmer quality […]
Century 21 domed theater is worthy of being listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

We’ve written about the endangered domed theaters in California in the past, and a small victory was won this April by the State Historical Resources Commission agreed that the former Century 21 theater in San Jose is worthy of being listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In an article from the Eichler Network, […]