The Holiday Motel was the first motel in Door County. Built in the
Cubist Modern (or Modern International) design, it opened its doors on
Saturday. May 31, 1952. The motel was designed and owned by William
Paul, a local Supper Club (Nautical Inn) owner and his business partner
Myron Krueger. According to newspaper reports of the time, the two
emphasized the "modern" detail and amenities when including such items
as:
--"The ventilated phone booth just for the business traveler's calling convenience"
--"Fire Proof and Chip Proof Simmons furnishings"
-- Glass block windows
-- Photo-Mirrors
-- White Stucco and Cement block construction--the newest methods of the day
-- Tile bathrooms
-- Theater lit hallways and stairs
The
builder used the post Motor Court style popular at a time in American
travel history when the on-site private parking lot at the front door
of the guest room was a major attraction to travelers. In the early
part of the twentieth century, there were few choices for
travelers—most stayed at camp grounds, cottage courts or tourist homes.
Business was good and a year later The Holiday Diner was added to serve
a full breakfast menu.
An interesting subsequent development is that the Holiday Inn chain was launched only 3 months later
in Memphis with the promise of properties that were standardized,
clean, predictable, family-friendly, and readily accessible to road
travelers. By 1958 there were 50 Inns across the country. (The name Holiday Inn was given to the original hotel by its architect as a joke in reference to the popular Bing Crosby movie.)
The Iconic Neon Sign
The
Holiday Motel sign is the original sign and is allowed per Sturgeon
Bay's sign code grandfather clause. The neon, metal box sign was
perfected during the 1950s and became the standard way to advertise
roadside businesses until the 1960s. This period of dynamic, roadside
flamboyance mirrored the exuberance of the postwar era. Metal box signs
were constructed with brightly-colored porcelain-enameled panels
trimmed in neon tubing and often animated with moving parts so that it
would be a vivid, hard to ignore display day or night.
The Holiday Music Motel was purchased in May 2007 by Holiday Motel
Management, LLC, a group of musicians and music enthusiasts. This group
came together while working on the Steel Bridge Songfest (SBSF), a
benefit to raise money and awareness for the preservation of the
historic Michigan Street Bridge. The motel sits at the approach to the
bridge.
Singer/songwriter pat mAcdonald (co-founder of
SBSF) organized a songwriting workshop in 2006 called The Construction
Zone, which took place for the first time in conjunction with that
year's festival. The Holiday Motel (owned and operated at that time by
fellow "bridge lovers" Peter and Marilyn DeVaney) was used as
headquarters for the workshop. Twenty-five songwriters were invited to
stay at the motel and write songs in collaboration. A recording studio
was installed in one of the rooms, and some 60 original songs were
written and recorded at the motel. One of the current owners, Anna
Sacks, was among those songwriters. She was so inspired by the event,
she commented to pat that she wished they could just buy a motel and
make the workshop available year-round. Pat pointed out that the
Holiday Motel was for sale.
Friends began to tell friends
and soon a collection of like-minded people banded together to buy the
motel. (One of the owners is noted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jackson
Browne, who has appeared annually at the Steel Bridge Songfest.)
The second Construction Zone was held at the Holiday Motel June
9-16, 2007 and another 60-some songs were composed and recorded. A
compliation CD from the first year's workshop was issued and debuted at
the festival. Subsequent workshops were scheduled for Fall and Winter
'07. But, that was not to be.
An electrical fire on August
5, 2007 did extensive damage to the motel and forced it to close for
repairs. Seeming initially like a staggering blow to the fledgling
venture, the blaze and the subsequent reconstruction required that
improvements originally planned for a phased development be made in an
accelerated time frame. The owners also opted to invest in making
additional upgrades while construction was going on.
The renovation proceeded with three goals in mind:
-- "Going Green"
-- Preserving the historic integrity and classic 50's decor of the building
-- Enhancing the motel's recording capabilities
-- Additional wiring enabling digital connection to the recording studio from each guest room
-- All trusses replaced on the roof
-- All of the original Simmons furniture cleaned and re-installed
-- Insulation added between floors
-- All rooms sound treated with a green, recycled product
-- Much of the original bathroom tile preserved
-- Individual room temperature controls added with the new ultra-efficient HVAC system
-- Improvements in the lobby and reception area
Christie
Weber, president of Citizens for Our Bridge and co-founder of SBSF, is
campaigning to get the motel listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. She is also spearheading a drive for LEED
certification for the green efforts used in the remodeling. Exciting
new ideas are being conceived and implemented daily to further the
motel's legacy of creative collaboration.
Local artists,
and some Construction Zone participants, are contributing to the
interior design. Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's, a talented interior
decorator and 50's style enthusiast, was first to get on board and will
have a specially designed room. Several other custom-designed rooms are
being planned for the future.