Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3 | Page 56

Renovating to the Beat of their Own Drum:
The Motor Lodge in Prescott
Maureen E. Towne

T

he renovation success of The Motor
Lodge, a vintage motel turned
hipster hangout, has created a buzz
in Prescott. It’s a tale of historic
preservation, high standards, and finesse.
But long before The Motor Lodge became
the cool place to stay in the Mile High City,
the site had served for almost a century as
an overnight stop for
road-weary travelers.
Decades before
Interstate 17 came
galloping
up
the
Mogollon Rim, northsouth traffic in Arizona
passed through Prescott via U.S. Highway
89. The city thrived as a stopping point for
overnight guests. Along the highway,
roadside cabins for travelers were built
around 1910 on the site of The Motor

Lodge, located at 503 South Montezuma
Street. By 1937, there was a U-shaped
motor court that featured amenities
including indoor plumbing, kitchenettes,
and carports.
The business, at one time called the
Prescott Motor Inn Motel, went through
seven ownership

potential and purchased the property.
Brian had already renovated several
properties in the Farmer neighborhood
near the Tempe ASU campus. By applying
his ingenuity, keen sense of design, and
attention to detail, Brian had transformed
each house into a gem.
Both sons of entrepreneurs, Brian and
Joe were naturals at starting a successful
business. Brian’s parents opened one of
the first convenience stores in South
Dakota in the late 1960s. They recognized
a niche in the market for this type of
business, since local grocery stores catered
to housewives and closed around 5 p.m.on
weekdays and by noon on Saturdays.

The Motor Lodge is
innovative yet nostalgic.
Above all, it is inviting.

Top: The Motor Lodge, 2015.
Right: Prescott Motor Inn Motel with owner
Vicky Novak, 1955.
Fifty six

changes and three
name
changes
before it was again
put on the market
in 2005. Still for
sale three years
later, Brian Spear
and Joe Livingston
recognized
its
Fall 2015