Hammond-North
Hammond-North Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge and Restaurant
The Hammond Times, 10-13-63: F-9
Hammond-North, Indiana
 -- 4141 Calumet Ave

Early in Howard Johnson's rapid expansion of Motor Lodge and Restaurant complexes, the standardized Hammond-North Howard Johnson's serving Chicago's southeast side opened in about 1959.

By the middle 2000s the Motor Lodge had become a much altered Ramada Inn complemented by Dynasty Banquets. The HoJo's Restaurant was apparently demolished and Johnel's Restaurant and Lounge came to serve the facility. In addition, a Super 8 Motel was built on the site's parking pad.
 
 
Photo ca. 2004: Phil Edwards
 

Above: Johnel's Restaurant located at the site of the former Howard Johnson's apparently occupies a "new" building.

Below & Lower: Hammond-North's guest buildings have been considerably altered, but second floor rooms retained their beamed vaulted ceilings. Note that Both the signature A-frame Gate Lodge and the Nims-type Restaurant were demolished.
 
www.ramadahammond.com: site accessed January 16, 2010
 
Photos ca. 2004: Phil Edwards
 
 
 
 
Calumet Center
 
Hammond Howard Johnson's
Postcard ca. 1970s: Dan Donahue
 
Calumet Center, IN -- 7813 Indianapolis Blvd
AKA Hammond-South
 
Large with 203 guest rooms and multi-story guest buildings, the Hammond-South or Calument Center Howard Johnson's complex serving greater Chicagoland opened in 1969. The complex featured an indoor all-weather heated swimming pool as well as another pool outdoors. Moreover the site offered saunas, a whirlpool and a playground.
 
The Hammond Times 2-26-69
 
 
The Hammond Times 3-7-69
 
 
Photos ca. 2004: Phil Edwards
 

By the middle 2000s the complex had become an AmeriHost franchise and had been much reduced in size. Moreover the nearby Interstate Plaza Shopping center had abandoned retail, and the Burger King which may have replaced the Howard Johnson's Restaurant was leveled.

The Hammond branch of the Kaplan Higher Education Corporation, a division of Kaplan, Inc., and a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, came to occupy most of the former Howard Johnson's site as well as the nearby shopping center. Meanwhile the Amerihost brand had been acquired by Cendant (now Wyndham) and eliminated. As for what remained of the largely unrecognizable Hammond-South or Calumet Center Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge, it became the unbranded Inn of Hammond.

 
Photos ca. 2004: Phil Edwards
 
 
 
 
Indianapolis-East
 
Indianapolis Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge and Restaurant
Postcard ca. 1950s: Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
Indianapolis-East, In
-- 7339 E Washington St

Featuring a layout not unlike the motels that Rufus Nims and Carl Koch designed, this very early Motor Lodge opened in 1954--the first year that Howard Johnson's began franchising the Lodges! Additionally this Landmark for Sleepy Americans was a member of the Superior Motel referral chain. Superior was created on 1950 with its headquarters in Hollywood, Florida.

Howard Johnson's short lived association with Superior provided exposure for its fledgling chain of Motor Lodges through Superior's reservation/referral system. While the association with the Superior clover leaf only lasted a couple of years, the original Indianapolis Motor Lodge remained a Howard Johnson's until 1971. In its last life the Motor Lodge was called the Accent East Motel--no trace apparently remained by the middle 2000s.
Howard Johnson's Scoop April 1955:
Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
 
 
 
Above: Not only was the Indianapolis-East complex the first of its type in Indiana, it was also Howard Johnson's first location in the greater Indianapolis area. Note the Restaurant's street sign which incorporated the Simple Simon and the Pieman figural as well as a lamp--the particular signage was used for only a brief period during the middle 1950s. By the end of the 1950s, save for the many Restaurant locations with Lamplighter Rooms, Lamp iconography came to be used strictly to identify Motor Lodges.
 
Postcard ca. 1950s: Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
Indianapolis-East2
 
Indianapolis-East, Indiana
 -- 2141 N Post Rd 
 

Built as a unit of the Cleveland, Ohio based Hospitality Motor Inn chain with unique lobby & restaurant buildings, the property became the second Indianapolis-East Howard Johnson's location during 1979. The converted motel offered 152 guest rooms, a putting green, lighted tennis courts, and a playground.

The non-standard property is believed to have become a Best Western and then a Quality Inn before being demolished to make way for a Home Depot. Note that an abbreviated strip center with a Marsh Supermarket and Family Dollar may have also been built on the HoJo's site.
Brochure/card ca 1979: Dan Donahue
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kokomo
 
Kokomo Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge and Restaurant
Howard Johnson's Landmark, October 1968 p. 4: Kummerlowe Archive
 
Kokomo, Indiana -- 2808 Lincoln Rd
 
Kokomo opened in 1963, and its Restaurant was subject of local awards for excellent landscaping. Built at a prime corner, the restaurant was demolished and a branch of Harris Bank (a storied Chicago financial institution now the American subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal) was erected in its place. meanwhile the Motor Lodge suffered an horrendous conversion into a Motel 6.
 
Photos ca. 2004: Phil Edwards
 
 
 
 
 
 
Terre Haute
 
Terre Haute Howard Johnson's motor Lodge and Restaurant
Brochure ca 1970s: Dan Donahue
 
Terre Haute, Indiana -- 3033 Dixie Bee Hwy
 
Built at the well trafficked interchange of I-70 and U.S. 41, Terre Haute opened in about 1974. The 158 room beaconed Mansard Manor lost its Orange Roof in order to become a Best Western after the original Terre Haute 96 room BW was demolished to make way for a Hampton Inn. Meanwhile, the site's HoJo's Restaurant had been demolished and replaced by a Shoney's. Note that Shoney's was unable to crack the midwestern U.S. market and pulled out of the region. And it might be argued that Shoney's over zealous expansion efforts post its Big Boy days led to a nearly complete collapse of the concept by the middle 2000s.