ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The Colony House Motor Lodge, a 69-room roadside motel, has reopened to guests after closing in 2018. It first opened in 1959 and was nicknamed the “guest room of South Roanoke.”
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023 for being a prime example of roadside Googie architecture. That’s a type of “futuristic” architecture, which is influenced by car culture, jets, and the space age. It was popular from the 1940s to the 1970s. Some pop-culture icons with similar inspirations include The Jetsons and the first-ever McDonald’s.
While the lodge has all-new upgrades, owners still kept its original style and vibe…