Crayon Graveur Postcard circa 1956
 
Rocky Mount, North Carolina -- 1821 N Wesleyan Blvd (U.S. 301 N.)
 
 
 
 

Designed using the innovative ideas devised by Florida architect Rufis Nims, the Rocky Mount Motor Lodge was opened in 1956--around the same time as similarly configured locations in Southern Pines, Ocala, and the prototype in Little Rock.

Initially the site featured only 36 guest rooms, and it was considered a novel idea back in 1956 to offer a standardized and branded lodging facility! Since Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges numbered only a few at the time that Rocky Mount opened, the Howard Johnson Company allowed its early franchisees to join the Superior Motel chain. This gave the new Motor Lodges national exposure in Superior's directory of locations. Superior was a referral chain of nonstandard motels originally called Superior Courts United. By the end of the 1950s, Howard Johnson's had a powerful enough presence that sub-membership in Superior was ceased.
Business Directory 1970: Courtesy of Robby Delius
 
 
Postcard circa 1960s
 
 
 
 
Photograph 2002: Courtesy of Bob Venditti
 
Remarkably Rocky Mount was kept up to date over the years. More modern guest rooms were added, and the property even boasted of having an enclosed heated swimming pool by the mid 1960s. The Motor Lodge lost the Howard Johnson name in 1979 when the nearby Gold Rock complex was opened along I-95. By 2001 a Hardee's had been built where the Restaurant had once been, but the old HoJo's Motor Lodge managed to carry on as the Executive Inn catering to longer term lodgers.
 
 
Photographs December 29, 2001