What an absolute shame I never
went ther. The Space Age Lodge in Anaheim, California, open in 1965. One of
five cosmic-themed motels created by industrialist Al Stovall, the Space Age
Lodge was partnered with the Inn of Tomorrow, the Cosmic Inn, The Galaxy,
another Space Age Lodge (all in Anaheim) and the Space Age in Gila Bend,
Arizona. (“All at down to earth rates”) Stovall was inspired in the design by
his affiliation with the newly formed Space program. He owned a copper mine and
a plastic factory, which made his ability to create special designs and
implement a variety of creative interior and exterior decorations a cinch. Many
of the lamps, room dividers and exterior do-dads were made from materials from
his mine and factory.
Space Age Lodge
ALEXANDRA SCOVILLE
The year is 1965. The Space
Age is in full swing in the United States following President John F. Kennedy’s
promise three years earlier to land on the moon within the decade. While Buzz
and Neil wouldn’t take their first steps on lunar soil for four more years,
space exploration was in full force in Gila Bend. Al Stovall’s Best Western
Space Age Lodge opened in the town, a natural stopping point for travelers on
the way to or from California and Rocky Point. The retro hotel was one of five
special “space age” destinations the late Stovall designed in the early to
mid-’60s.
The lodge is now in the
care of Bill O’Connell, who first began working with Al Stovall as a
21-year-old in the boss’ hotels in Anaheim, Calif. Every futuristic detail at
the Space Age Lodge, from the lamps to room dividers, was hand-designed by
Stovall, O’Connell says: “It was all his imagination and creativity that they
used to build the hotel.”
Outer space was what
“everyone was talking about” in the ‘60s, and the Space Age Lodge remains
committed to the theme. In 1998, a fire sparked by a malfunctioning neon light
destroyed parts of the lobby and restaurant; the owners took it in stride,
stretching a banner outside the burned building that read, “Attacked by
Aliens!” A UFO on the lobby roof, and murals of shuttles, satellites
and spacemen were added throughout the lobby and restaurant in the remodel.
“When you’re standing in the lobby and you look up, it almost makes you feel
like you’re in outer space,” O’Connell says.
The hotel is still doing
good business and standing strong after 50 years. O’Connell sees the hotel
staying open for years to come, especially as the Space Age Lodge becomes more
nostalgic as it preserves the increasingly distant era of moon landings, space
races and road trip attractions.
