Remembering the Motel Inn

Jeff Bringle sent over this photo of the famous Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo, the very first motel in the U.S.

Check out the sign at the right of the photo. Yep, it says KVEC. Our radio station was located at the Motel Inn during the early ’60s. What a time it must have been.

Of course, there’s not much left now. The Inn closed in the ’80s and most of the original buildings were knocked down in 2006. It’s a blight on our city’s history to see how we’ve failed to preserve the legacy of this building, which served as the cultural/social center of town for decades.

I know. I know. No one has any money. But I’d hate to see that building, those memories, slip away forever.

Marilyn from San Luis Obispo, who first moved to town in 1948, joins me on the radio today at 3:45 to share her memories of the Motel Inn.

Meanwhile, check out this 1993 valentine to the Motel Inn from the Seattle Times.