Staying at the Autopia in the 1940s, Phoenix, Arizona


Let's drive to Phoenix in the 1940s. I know a great place to stay called Autopia. It's at 39th Street and Van Buren and it's specially designed for us motorists.

You'd better drive, I'm not very good at paying attention to the road. I'll pack some things in the car. And we don't have to worry about hauling all of our stuff up into a hotel room, you can park your car right by the cottages. They're calling these kinds of places "Motor Hotels" - I think they're going to catch on!


Let's see, I'll do the navigating. Looks like it's on Routes 60-80-90-180. That's the old Tempe Road. Nowadays people usually just call it Van Buren. It's the main road between Phoenix and Tempe, so it shouldn't be hard to find.

Autopia Motor Hotel in the 1940s, 39th Street and Van Buren, Phoenix, Arizona.

Here we are! Didn't I tell you how great this place was? And look at the cars! I don't know about you, but I love looking at cars. I think I'm just gonna go wander around and see the "car show"! I think that must be the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Rosenlof. I wonder if they'd mind telling me more about this place, its history, that kind of thing. And maybe they can recommend a place for dinner. I've heard good things about Tovreas, which is not far from here. A nice juicy steak sounds good!

Pretty girls in front of the Autopia Motor Hotel in the 1940s, 39th Street and Van Buren, Phoenix, Arizona.

1929 ad for Autopia

Thanks for riding along with me.
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