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Postcard circa 1970s
 
 
 
 
Photograph courtesy of Bob Venditti
 
 

It is not clear who the original owner of the Motor Lodge had been, but in 1971 Glenn L. Redcay became the property's host according to Howard Johnson's directories. Redcay was a colorful figure who enjoyed the company of women and puffing on expensive cigars. He operated the Motor Lodge as a Howard Johnson's until the early 1990s, and then converted it into the Black Horse. As an independent, the Lodge attempted to be upscale and cater to golfers and well heeled tourists visiting the Pennsylvania Dutch region and antiques district.

Curiously Mr. Redcay reported that he had been a confidant of Howard B. Johnson and that they had enjoyed playing numerous card games together. Oddly, Redcay had no memory of the Howard Johnson's Landmark Supply Division even as his Motor Lodge and Restaurant were clearly outfitted with Landmark fixtures and furnishings.
Photos March 29 & 30, 2007
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks to Glenn Redcay, the former Denver-Reading-Lancaster complex became the best preserved of the original standardised Howard Johnson's, and it maintained a sense of its HoJo-ness well into the later 2000s. Unfortunately the 58 year-old Redcay died unexpectedly in December of 2005. A desk clerk in 2007 indicated that the property had been sold by Redcay's heirs to a group of local business people. Chances are that with the careful stewardship of Mr. Redcay over, the property will be considerably altered or worse.
 
Above & Below: Note that the building behind the Gate Lodge was not a standard guest building and likely added after the Howard Johnson Company's dissolution.
 
 
 
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