The Orange Icon, it Lives On in memoria!

Rooted in popular culture and innovation, Howard Johnson's and its iconography has come to represent the golden (orange) era of Americana--prosperity, modernity, et al--despite the brand's current status. Featured and often referred to in media throughout the 20th century, the formerly Orange Roofed chain was once the epitome of modernity--cutting edge in every way!

For those of us old enough to have experienced roadside hospitality perfection, Mad Men episode 6 of series 5 provided a brief respite from today's chaos of imperfection. Although Restaurant scenes were non-authentic (nonetheless great strides were made to portray things as real which included many JGs in circa 1966 Dior uniforms as well as several artifacts showing the Simple Simon and the Pieman!!), the largely intact but touched up Baldwin Park, California Gate Lodge stood in for Plattsburgh, New York (note that in real life the Plattsburgh property was site of a spectacular "Concept '65" Restaurant). Attention to detail and attempts at authenticity were remarkable!

Check out these external links for more about the Mad Men feature of HoJo's:

http://www.amctv.com/shows/mad-men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FND1M06vhcI http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/04/mad-men-makes-a-howard-johnson-motor-lodge-pit-stop.html
New York Daily News
CNN Travel

BTW, watch the Mad Men episode to find out about the orange sherbet.

Bob: "I needed a place to shower and change for one night--I only had my camera with me to document the motel stay, as I have always done, no other reason..."

Bob: "Very nice place to stay while taking the long way to Ohio! I had great pancakes at the dairy bar."

At the onset of my endeavor/adventure to document Howard Johnson's in 1998, I never could have imagined that I was witness to the end of an era. It is difficult to believe that an institution so ingrained in our culture could vanish almost without a trace. For it would seem that with each passing day another HoJo's is closed and demolished. Not that long ago Howard Johnson's was the largest hospitality chain in the world. But now this once ubiquitous roadside landmark fades from America's rear-view mirror, and as we speed off into the uncharted future fewer and fewer orange roofed Restaurants and Motor Lodges remain to serve the hungry and sleepy motoring public.

This site commemorates the Roadside Empire created by Howard D. Johnson, and chronicles with photographs and commentary the story of a once vast organization and its legacy to the American roadscape, and to the hospitality industry. Please browse and enjoy the photographs, and I hope that they rekindle many memories.